1  37B 


"I    WONDER   IF   ANY   ONE    EVKR    WAX   THANKFUL   FOR   TKOUBLK    AM) 

MISFORTUNE?"— Page  10. 


HOME    NOOK 


BY 


AMANDA   M.    DOUGLAS 


FRONTISPIECE    BY   JOHN    GOSS 


BOSTON 
LOTHROP,    LEE   &   SHEPARD    CO, 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873, 

BY  LEE  AND  SHEPARD, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 

COPYRIGHT,  1901,  BY  AMANDA  M.  DOUGLAS. 


HOME  NOOK. 


SOPHIA   L.  SHAW. 


The  gate  called  Beautiful  may  be  the  human  heai% 

Where  pilgrims  knock  and  ask  the  alms  of  lore, 
Clasp  hands  in  faith  a  while  and  then  depart, 

But  still  remembering  wheresoe'er  they  rove, 
A  word,  perchance,  a  smile  all  rich  in  faith, 

May  in  some  costlier  stead  an  offering  be ; 
And  lacking  royal  favors  to  bequeath, 

Such  as  I  have  I  gladly  girt  to  thee. 

A,  M.D 

K.J. 


2135886 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGK 

I.  A  CLOUD  IN  THB  SET. 7 

II.  TOGETHER  IN  COUNCIL 20 

III.  A  CBOSS  FOB  ALL 31 

IV.  CHANGES 43 

V.  A  NEW  HOUSE 66 

VI.  ROMANCE  AND  EXPERIENCE 69 

VII.  SHIFTING  SANDS 81 

VIII.  LOOKING  AT  THE  FUTURE 95 

IX.  ELEANOR 106 

X.  DRIFTING  WITH  THB  TIDE 118 

XI.  AMONG  THORNS 132 

XII.  IN  THE  SHADOW 146 

XIH.  PHILIP 161 

XIV.  THE  WORLD  AGAIN 174 

XV.  A  MISSING  LINK. 184 

XVI.  A  NEW  FRIEND 198 

XVII.  THORNS  AND  ROSES 211 

XVIII.  A  VEXED  QUESTION 226 

XIX.  TOUCHING  THE  GOLDEN  SHORE 239 

XX.  THROUGH  PLEASANT  WATS SB8 


CONTENTS. 

XXI.  DATS  SONNY  AND  SHADT. 993 

XXII.  WORK  nr  EABNEST 280 

XXIII.  FLOATING  our 292 

XXIV.  BETWEEN  two 804 

XXV.  CLEMENT 816 

XXVI.  LILIES  AKD  RUE 828 

XXVII.  CROWNED  WITH  THORVB 881 

XXVIII.  COBCLCMOB Id 


HOME    NOOK; 


THE  CROWN  OF1  DUTY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   CLOUD   IN   THE    SKY. 

THE  short  winter  day  was  drawing  to  a  close.  Madge 
Ashburton  could  read  no  longer,  and  this  was  her  dream- 
time  ;  so  shutting  her  book,  she  tossed  it  over  on  the 
study-table.  It  just  grazed  the  edge,  and  fell  into  Elea- 
nor's willow  work-basket. 

"  O  Madge  ! "  This  was  said  reprovingly  by  her  elder 
sister. 

"My  dear  Madge  !"  This  was  uttered  in  the  sweetest 
of  tones  by  mamma,  though  it  meant  quite  as  much  as 
Eleanor's  more  forcible  check. 

"I'm  always  doing  something!  Now  and  then  I  wish 
I  was  like  other  people  —  well,  not  much,  either.  I  can't 
tell  how  it  is,  but  I  have  a  kind  of  affection  for  myself 
whenever  I  go  wrong ;  so  I  often  say  to  Madge  Ashbur- 
ton, *  With  all  thy  faults,  I  love  thee  still.'  Mamma,  do 
you  think  me  very  naughty?" 

Mrs.  Ashburton  smiled.  She  was  a  small,  pale,  sweet- 
looking  woman,  bearing  marks  of  great  delicacy.  There 
was  an  expression  on  the  face  and  in  the  eyes  that  spoke 
of  a  restful  soul. 

T 


8  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  Eleanor  and  Jessie  are  very  nice,"  the  girl  went  on 
"but  if  it  wasn't  for  me,  you  would  all  fall  asleep.  Surplui 
energy  is  one  of  the  results  or  accidents  —  which  is  it, 
Eleanor?  —  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Doesn't  that 
sound  sententious,  and  almost  like  Carlyle  ?  Mamma,  I'm 
not  sure  but  there  has  been  a  mistake.  I've  crept  into 
your  family  unaware,  and  though  I'm  no  angel,  you  have 
all  entertained  me  in  the  tenderest  possible  fashion.  I  am 
restless  and  uneasy,  and  when  I  think  of  growing  up  with 
nothing  to  do  —  " 

"  My  dear,"  said  her  mother,  "  there  is  work  for  every 
one  in  this  world." 

"But  a  little  housekeeping  and  visiting,  and  thinking 
about  one's  dresses  —  " 

"  If  you  paid  more  attention  to  yours,  Madge,  it  would 
not  be  amiss,"  exclaimed  Eleanor,  rather  warmly.  "  Read- 
ing Carlyle,  and  all  that,  is  not  specially  beneficial  to  you 
or  any  other  very  young  girl." 

"  But  it  seems  to  me  that  most  lives  are  quite  stupid." 

"  O ! "  said  Jessie,  in  amaze. 

"You  are  so  good  and  thoughtful,  Jessie  I  I  don't  be- 
lieve that  I  could  bother  over  children's  dresses  and  poor 
women's  babies,  and  I  fancy  that  I  should  like  to  have 
some  real  work  to  do  when  I  am  grown.  Mamma,  do  you 
not  believe  that  there  are  women  just  fitted  for  some  par- 
ticular employment?  Men  don't  all  rush  hap-hazard  into 
the  same  thing.  Clement  now  has  gone  off  to  China  to 
make  a  fortune,  and  every  one  compliments  papa  upon 
having  such  a  business-like  son.  His  genius  is  purely 
Commercial.  Then  Philip  is  quite  crazy  about  medicine 
and  surgery.  Eleanor  ought  to  marry  a  rich  man,  and  be 
a  great  lady.  Jessie  would  make  a  missionary,  or  else  one 
of  those  sweet  old  maids  whom  every  one  adores.  But  I 
am  troubled  to  know  what  my  destiny  will  be." 

"You  need  not  be  for  the  next  two  or  three  years,"  said 
her  mother.  "  A  good  education  is  the  first  important  step." 


THE    CROWN  OF  DUTY.  9 

"  I  wonder  why  papa  does  not  come  ! "  and  Madge  was 
off  to  the  window. 

"It  is  past  his  time,"  remarked  Jessie.  "  He  must  have 
missed  the  train." 

Madge  peered  out  in  silence  for  many  moments,  think- 
ing very  rapidly,  and  yet  she  could  not  have  separated  one 
distinct  idea  from  the  confused  mass.  What  she  saw  was 
a  broad,  sloping  lawn,  with  an  edge  of  leafless  trees  fronting 
the  street  like  sentinels,  groups  of  shadowy  evergreens 
here  and  there,  and  the  winding  carriage-road,  the  hard 
path  looking  whiter  than  the  surrounding  ground.  Not 
a  footstep,  not  a  rumble  of  wheels,  however  distant  —  not 
even  the  wind  moaning  up  and  down.  Out  beyond  there 
were  millions  of  human  beings ;  and  were  any  of  them 
living  a  still,  cold  life,  like  this  night  ?  What  were  they 
all  doing,  thinking,  and  suffering  ?  Ah,  there  came  a 
bright  star.  Did  it  point  any  of  them  to  the  God  up 
above  ? 

She  turned  suddenly.  The  grate-fire  was  sending  a 
cheerful  glow  through  the  room.  It  was  such  a  pretty, 
home-like  place  1  The  bright  carpet  and  partly-worn  furni- 
ture, without  being  at  all  shabby,  had  reached  that  pecu- 
liarly comfortable  and  tempting  stage.  A  lounge  with  a 
pillow  in  the  corner,  easy-chairs,  a  wire  stand  in  the  bay- 
window,  containing  some  geraniums  and  roses  in  bloom ; 
choice  pictures,  reflecting  the  ruddy  fire-light,  and  here 
and  there  a  gracefully  carved  bracket  in  black  walnut,  sup- 
porting a  vase  or  tiny  statue.  Every  one  admitted  that 
the  sitting-room  at  Home  Nook  was  the  cosiest  place  in 
the  world.  The  spacious  parlor  down  stairs  —  or  drawing- 
room,  in  Eleanor's  aristocratic  parlance  —  was  nothing  in 
comparison. 

There  was  fair  Jessie  peering  into  the  changeful  blaze, 
thinking,  doubtless,  of  those  shivering  souls  huddled  to« 
Aether  on  this  cold  night  over  a  handful  of  fire.  Eleanor 
sat  in  an  arm-chair,  grave  and  regal,  like  the  queen  she 


10  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

was.  Tall,  slender,  but  with  a  firm,  round  figure,  that 
gave  an  expression  of  decision  to  what  might  otherwise 
have  been  languid  grace.  A  smooth,  white  forehead,  with 
the  hair  banded  plainly  above ;  large,  dark  eyes,  and  a 
rather  firm  mouth,  though  the  lips  were  a  brilliant  scarlet. 
She  was  a  handsome  girl,  but  the  grand  truths  that  set  a 
seal  upon  some  faces  had  not  become  her  inheritance  as 
yet.  Meekness,  tenderness,  and  long-suffering  were  not 
inborn,  and  would  come  to  her  only  in  some  great  strait 
of  life  after  a  severe  battle.  Seeing  her  there  so  calm  and 
stately,  something  like  this  passed  through  Madge's  mind. 
In  her  crude  way,  she  had  begun  to  speculate. 

But  feeling  and  thought  were  evanescent  with  her. 
Another  mood  swept  over  her,  and  the  next  instant  she 
knelt  before  the  fire,  and  laid  her  head  in  her  mother's  lap. 

"Mamma,"  she  exclaimed,  "how  very  happy  we  arel 
We  seem  to  have  everything  that  we  want ;  so  you  must 
not  think  that  I  was  discontented  a  while  ago." 

"No,  my  dear,  but  I  would  like  to  have  you  remember 
from  whom  all  these  good  gifts  come." 

"  Yes ;  when  anything  particularly  nice  happens,  I 
always  feel  like  giving  thanks.  But,  mamma  —  " 

"  Well  ?  "  for  the  pause  was  a  long  one. 

u  I  wonder  if  any  one  ever  toas  thankful  for  trouble  and 
misfortune  ?  " 

"Not  at  first,  I  suppose.  After  a  while  we  begin  to  BGO 
where  we  might  have  strayed  into  sin  or  temptation  but 
for  this  very  trial  laid  upon  us.  Or  we  are  taught  some 
needful  lesson  —  brought  nearer  to  God,  and  led  to  realize 
that  our  lives  were  given  for  a  higher  purpose  than  mere 
selfish  aims  and  pleasures." 

"  It  is  easy  to  talk  about  by  this  lovely  fire,  but  could 
we  bear  it  patiently?  I  wonder  if  every  one  doesn't 
theorize  a  good  deal,  and  — " 

"You  do,"  said  Eleanor,  with  a  short  laugh.  "And 
Hannah  must  be  dreaming  and  have  forgotten  the  lights ;" 
to  she  rose  and  rang  the  bell. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  11 

"O,w  exclaimed  Madge,  disappointedly.  "Sitting  in 
the  dark  is  so  nice !  It  always  makes  me  feel  like  talking 
to  mamma." 

A  grave,  middle-aged  woman  answered  the  summons. 
She  lighted  the  lamp,  and  placed  it  upon  the  table  in  the 
centre  of  the  room. 

"  Mr.  Ashburton  is  late,"  she  said,  slowly.  "  The  din 
U9r  has  been  done  some  time." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  glanced  at  the  French  clock  on  tht 
mantel.  Eleanor  caught  the  anxious  look. 

"  They  are  very  busy  at  the  store,  you  know,  and  papa 
has  staid  late  several  evenings." 

"  Yes,"  thoughtfully. 

Madge  raised  her  brown  eyes  to  her  mother's  face. 
Something  flashed  across  her  brain  and  rose  in  her  throat 
at  the  same  time  —  a  quick,  nervous  apprehension.  She 
possessed  one  of  those  natures  in  which  impressions  are 
electrical.  Eleanor  always  called  them  whims.  The  elder 
sister  understood  that  an  undue  indulgence  would  prove 
dangerous  to  such  a  temperament. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Jessie.  "  You  look  as  if 
there  was  a  ghost  in  the  room." 

"  Like  poor  Mrs.  Gradgrind ; "  and  she  gave  a  short 
laugh.  "  1  can't  say  that  I  have  the  ghost  —  I  was  only 
thinking." 

"Mamma,"  began  Eleanor,  rather  sharply,  "it  seems  to 
me  that  Madge  is  falling  into  bad  habits.  She  is  full  of 
fancies  and  caprices,  and  has  no  stability  of  purpose.  She 
xeads  too  much." 

"  Well,  I  will  not  look  at  another  book  to-night.  I'll 
put  my  head  here  in  mamma's  lap  and  let  her  sermonize 
me." 

Mrs.  Ashburton's  slender  fingers  threaded  her  darling's 
sunny  hair.  Somehow,  on  this  night,  little  Madge,  with 
all  her  faults  and  short-comings,  seemed  very  dear.  She 
watched  the  bright  glow  stealing  back  to  the  cheek,  and 


12  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

breathed  a  prayer  for  the  child's  future,  that  appeared 
much  less  assured  than  either  of  her  sisters.' 

Madge  thought,  "  What  if  something  should  happen  to 
papa! "  Nothing  ever  had,  of  course.  He  had  come  and 
gone  daily,  been  spared  accidents  and  misfortunes ;  and 
then  she  wondered  how  God  could  watch  over  every  step 
when  there  were  so  many  things  in  this  busy  world. 

Her  meditations  were  brought  to  a  close  by  a  sharp 
ring  of  the  door-bell.  She  raised  her  head  and  pushed 
aside  the  bright  curls. 

"  One  of  the  clerks,  Mr.  Barnet.  He  wants  to  see  Mrs. 
Ashburton,"  Hannah  announced. 

"  Let  me  go,  mamma ; "  and  Eleanor  rose.  If  it  were 
bad  news,  she  was  strongest  to  receive  the  first  shock. 
Mrs.  Ashburton  acquiesced,  seized  with  a  sudden  pre- 
sentiment. 

Mr.  Barnet  rose  and  bowed  at  Eleanor's  entrance.  He 
looked  nervous  and  flurried,  and  stammered  out  a  few 
sentences. 

"Papa?"  she  questioned,  decisively. 

"  He  has  been  taken  ill,  Miss  Ashburton ;  and  if  you 
and  your  mother  could  come  down  —  for  the  doctor 
thinks  that  he  had  better  not  be  removed." 

"  He  is  not  dead  ?  "  Eleanor  asked,  through  white  lips. 

"No;  he  was  taken  a  few  hours  ago  —  paralysis,  I 
believe.  Mr.  Stanhope  begged  me  to  come  for  you." 

Eleanor  passed  her  hand  across  her  eyes.  She  felt 
Btunned,  and  could  not  comprehend  the  fact. 

"  If  you  prefer,  I  will  accompany  you,"  Mr.  Barnet  said, 
in  a  low  tone.  "  The  train  goes  down  in  about  twenty 
minutes." 

"Yes,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  you,"  she  answered, 
mechanically,  turning  towards  the  door  as  if  but  half 
awake. 

When  she  reached  the  sitting-room,  she  found  that 
Madge  had  infected  her  mother  with  the  wildest  fears 


THE  CROWN   OF   DUTY.  13 

and  though  her  own  heart  sank  within  her,  she  rallied  aL 
her  strength. 

"Hush,"  she  said  to  the  eager  questions  of  the  girls 
"Papa  has  been  taken  ill;  and  we  must  go  to  the  city 
immediately.  Jessie,  get  mamma's  cloak  and  bonnet ;  and, 
Madge,  go  order  the  carriage." 

Her  prompt  manner  brought  them  to  their  senses.  In 
a  few  moments  the  travellers  were  ready  for  starting. 
The  girls  kissed  their  mother  with  frantic  tenderness. 
Eleanor  tried  to  keep  her  voice  steady  as  she  said,  — 

"  You  will  hear  in  the  morning,  or  perhaps  we  shall 
return." 

Madge  and  Jessie  made  a  vain  attempt  to  eat  their 
dinners,  but  they  could  only  speculate  upon  what  had 
happened  to  papa.  They  went  back  to  the  sitting-room  ; 
but,  though  the  fire  was  bright  as  before,  the  charm  had 
gone  out  of  all.  Madge  remembered  what  she  had  been 
saying  an  hour  ago — no,  she  could  not  feel  thankful  for 
misfortune  and  trouble.  Perhaps  Jessie  might  —  Jessie, 
who  always  turned  to  some  side  of  the  picture  that  others 
failed  to  see. 

Although  twin  sisters,  Jessie  was  the  taller  and  more 
womanly.  Indeed,  they  were  very  little  alike,  except  the 
family  resemblance  that  one  always  remarks.  Jessie  was 
quiet  and  thoughtful,  with  brown  hair,  and  shady  violet 
eyes  that  looked  like  hidden  lakes  gleaming  from  some 
woody  nook.  Madge  was  neither  fair  nor  dark  :  chestnut 
hair  that  still  kept  its  tint  of  gold ;  eyes  that  were  sun- 
shine in  themselves  —  a  sort  of  hazel ;  and  a  peculiar 
creamy  complexion,  with  a  peachy  tint  in  the  cheeks. 
She  had  been  petted  and  indulged  on  every  side,  and  was 
warm,  impulsive,  affectionate,  and  often  unreasonable. 

The  household  at  Home  Nook  was  a  happy  one  indeed. 
Though  not  rich,  Mr.  Ashburton  had  been  a  fairly  pros- 
perous man.  Misfortunes  had  hitherto  held  aloof,  and  the 
only  sorrow  they  knew  by  actual  experience  had  been  the 


14  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

parting  with  Clement,  the  eldest  son,  who,  three  monthi 
before,  had  gone  to  China. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  and  Eleanor  continued  their  journey  in 
silence.  Once  the  daughter  roused  herself  to  make  a  few 
inquiries.  Her  father  had  been  taken  to  Mr.  Weir's,  and 
she  recognized  the  name  of  the  head  clerk.  Dr.  Conway 
vas  in  attendance. 

In  about  an  hour  they  had  reached  Mr.  Weir's — an 
unpretentious  house,  too  near  the  business  part  of  the  city 
to  be  considered  at  all  stylish,  but  very  comfortable  with- 
in, as  they  soon  found.  Mrs.  Weir  received  them  with 
tender  yet  unobtrusive  sympathy. 

"  The  doctor  thinks  there  is  a  little  improvement,"  she 
said;  "but  one  can  hardly  tell  so  soon.  You  look  chilled 
through.  Take  off  your  wraps,  and  have  a  good  warm 
cup  of  tea." 

"Has  he  been  —  is  he  fatally  ill?"  gasped  Mrs.  Ash- 
burton. 

"  There  is  a  hope  of  his  being  brought  round,  I  believe. 
It's  a  sad  thing  to  happen  at  such  a  time,  but  one  cannot 
help  losses  and  crosses.  I  sometimes  tell  Mr.  Weir  that 
those  who  have  nothing  are  the  happiest." 

Mrg.  Ashburton  listened  blankly,  as  if  the  latter  part  of 
the  speech  was  of  no  importance  to  her,  but  Eleanor's 
mind  took  it  in  with  a  sharp  pang. 

Presently  they  were  ushered  into  the  invalid's  room 
He  lay  helpless  and  speechless,  unconscious  of  all  outward 
objects,  even  the  voices  of  wife  and  daughter.  Except 
for  the  heavy  breathing,  they  might  have  thought  him 
already  dead. 

Mrs.  Ashburton's  composure  gave  way  at  once.  She 
threw  herself  beside  her  husband  with  a  cry  of  anguish, 
for  her  heart  seemed  breaking. 

Eleanor  tried  to  comfort,  but  soon  found  it  wiser  to 
lead  her  away  from  the  scene.  Under  Mrs.  Weir's  gentle 
ministrations  she  grew  calmer  after  a  while,  and,  seeing 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  15 

this,  the  young  girl  returned  to  her  father.  Mr.  Weir  sat 
there,  grave  and  silent.  He  would  have  motioned  her 
away,  but  she  came  close  beside  him. 

"Mr.  Weir,"  she  began,  in  a  slow  tone,  that  sounded 
cold  and  hollow  even  to  herself,  "  was  there  some  trouble 
connected  with  papa's  sudden  illness?" 

The  man  cast  his  eyes  down  upon  the  carpet,  and  was 
silent.  A  slow,  stubborn  kind  of  man  by  nature,  yet  be 
had  a  misgiving  that  Miss  Ashburton  would  be  hard  to 
evade.  But  did  they  really  know  or  suspect  nothing? 

"  It  has  been  a  hard  winter,  and  almost  every  one  has 
met  with  losses,  papa  among  the  rest,  and  he  has  had  to 
be  —  careful.  But  I  should  like  to  know  the  truth." 

Eleanor  was  quite  surprised  at  the  energy  with  which 
she  made  this  direct  and  steady  speech,  and  searched  the 
face  opposite  with  questioning  eyes. 

"  I  don't  know,  myself,  Miss  Ashburton,"  he  answered, 
with  a  grim  satisfaction,  as  if  there  was  something  she 
could  not  wrest  from  him. 

"  But  you  are  aware  of  some  —  complications  ?  " 

She  did  not  know  what  other  word  to  use,  and  stumbled 
upon  this. 

"  Several  recent  failures  have  crippled  us  pretty  badly ; 
but  Mr.  Ashburton  hoped  to  get  through,  and  eo  did  Mr. 
Stanhope." 

«  And  now  ?  " 

Eleanor's  voice  and  face  were  indicative  of  something 
besides  firmness  —  a  resolve  to  learn  all,  however  disheart- 
ening it  might  prove. 

"  I  don't  exactly  know  —  " 

"  Mr.  Weir,  tell  me  what  you  think  I " 

She  glanced  steadily  into  his  face  with  her  clear  eyes. 

They'll  have  to  know  it  some  time,  he  mused.  After 
all,  why  should  any  one  be  so  tender  to  these  people,  who 
had  never  denied  themselves  a  single  want  or  wish? 
Right,  and  truth,  and  honor  were  as  much  for  them  as  for 


16  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

the  poor  man,  whom  the  law  punished  so  rigorously  if  he 
stepped  aside.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  sentiment  about 
these  matters,  when  the  person  in  question  was  kind  and 
gentlemanly  as  Mr.  Ashburton  had  always  been.  Yet  it 
was  cowardly  to  strike  a  fallen  man  such  a  blow. 

"  Mr.  Weir,  I  think  I  have  a  right  to  the  truth,  and  I 
am  able  to  bear  it.  It  may  be  a  long  while  before  papa  ia 
sufficiently  well  to  attend  to  business  —  " 

If  her  voice  faltered,  her  face  was  resolute. 

M  Women  —  girls,  I  mean  —  can't  understand  these  mat- 
ters,  Miss  Ashburton,"  he  returned,  evasively. 

"  I  could  understand  if  papa  had  been  unfortunate,  and 
I  thrak  it  is  that." 

He  could  resist  no  longer. 

"It's  pretty  bad.  I'm  sorry  to  say  it,  but  —  I  don't 
believe  they  will  get  through." 

He  brought  the  words  out  with  a  jerk.  He  was  a 
plain  man,  and  when  any  one  insisted  upon  the  fcruth,  he 
gave  it. 

Eleanor's  breath  came  rapidly,  and  her  face  turned  very 
pale. 

"  And  this  was  what  proved  such  a  shock  to  papa,"  she 
said,  chokingly. 

He  felt  very  sorry  for  the  young  and  beautiful  girl, 
though,  as  a  general  thing,  he  considered  beauty  only  as  a 
lure  to  vanity  and  extravagance. 

M  Miss  Ashburton,  there's  something  about  it  all  that  I 
don't  understand  myself.  A  month  ago  I  would  have 
eaid  we  were  strong  enough  for  anything,  and  even  in 
epite  of  the  losses,  I  don't  see  how  — some  bad  news  came 
this  morning,"  he  added,  abruptly. 

"And  Mr.  Stanhope?" 

"  They  talked  and  went  over  the  books  until  about  two, 
when  this  happened." 

w  And  you  fear  the  worst  ?  " 

A  peculiar  expression   crossed  nis  face,  in  which  wai 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  17 

mingled  unmistakable  sorrow.  Eleanor  stood  straight 
and  rigid,  for  the  secret  she  had  wrested  from  him  sur- 
prised herself  as  well.  Three  hours  ago  she  could  not 
have  dreamed  such  an  event  possible. 

"  And  must  there  be  —  a  failure  ?  " 

"  I  fear  so,  miss." 

"  Poor  papa  ! "     Her  lip  quivered  with  emotion. 

"You  had  better  go  into  the  other  room,"  he  said, 
gently.  "  I  will  watch  him,  and  let  you  know  if  there  is 
any  change." 

Eleanor  did  as  she  was  bidden,  for  she  had  no  strength 
to  resist. 

As  she  opened  the  door,  Mrs.  Ashburton  roused  from 
her  recumbent  position,  and  glanced  at  her  with  eagerly 
questioning  eyes. 

"  He  is  just  the  same,  mamma,"  she  said,  softly,  crossing 
the  room  and  clasping  the  slender  hand  in  her  own  with  a 
sense  of  protecting  power. 

Then  she  began  to  think.  All  these  years  had  been 
spent  in  the  midst  of  abundance  and  perfect  health ;  at 
least,  no  one  had  ever  been  dangerously  ill.  And  now  to 
have  death  and  poverty  confront  them  in  this  stern 
fashion ! 

Eleanor  was  proud  and  sensitive,  and  she  shrank  in- 
stinctively from  the  prospect.  She  possessed  a  refined 
and  delicate  nature  —  was  one  of  those  persons,  indeed, 
to  whom  petty  self-denial  and  the  practice  of  economy  are 
in  the  last  degree  distasteful.  Not  that  she  was  foolishly 
extravagant — her  friends  considered  her  rather  severe  in 
the  matter  of  dress;  but  if  gay  colors  were  not  to  her 
taste,  her  laces,  gloves,  and  handkerchiefs  were  faultless. 
She  was  accustomed  to  the  most  scrupulous  care,  and  her 
uressing-room  at  home  was  a  marvel  with  its  dainty  ap- 
pointments. 

Her  books  and  pictures  were  chosen  with   the   same 
fastidiousness,  and  her  flowers  were  the  rarest  that  could  . 
2 


18  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

be  found.  True,  there  had  been  no  particular  need  foi 
sacrifice,  and  she  was  not  one  to  take  the  hard  and  un 
pleasant  in  life  when  the  sunny  path  was  at  hand.  I  do 
not  mean  that  she  was  selfish  in  the  broad  sense  of  the 
word,  but  she  always  did  take  into  consideration  her  own 
ease  and  comfort.  Her  ideals  had  been  moulded  from  the 
classics,  and  she  was,  perhaps,  capable  of  making  any 
great  and  heroic  effort ;  but  poverty  and  the  petty  trialt 
staring  her  in  the  face  were  bitter  and  humiliating.  With 
the  loss  of  wealth  must  go  their  lovely  house,  position, 
and  many  social  enjoyments.  When  she  dropped  out  of 
the  ranks,  friends  would  regret  for  a  brief  while,  and  then 
solace  themselves  with  new  faces.  Already  in  her  short 
experience  she  had  seen  this  happen  to  others.  She  re- 
membered with  something  akin  to  shame  that  she  had 
never  sought  out  these  unfortunates,  and  endeavored  to 
soften  the  blow  by  friendly  sympathy.  Could  she  blame 
others  for  doing  the  same  by  her? 

In  March  she  would  be  twenty.  If  that  worst  of  all, 
death,  came,  she  must  in  some  degree  be  a  dependence 
for  the  rest.  Then  her  range  of  love  and  grief  grew  a 
little  wider.  There  was  mamma  to  suffer  by  the  loss. 
She  clasped  her  hands  in  a  spasm  of  anguish,  and  Mrs. 
Ashburton  roused  herself. 

"My  dear,  what  is  it?"  she  asked,  in  tremulous  tones. 

"  Nothing,  mamma,  save  my  troubled  thoughts." 

"Nelly,"  —  and  the  mother's  face  was  full  of  tender  en- 
treaty, —  "  let  us  pray  that  he  may  be  spared.  I  could  bear 
any  trial  but  that.  If  God  will  only  restore  him  to  health! 
I  feel  so  weak  and  helpless !  If  I  could  be  of  any  service  —  " 

"  No,  mamma ;  lie  still.  Nothing  can  be  done  save  that 
hardest  of  all  —  waiting  patiently." 

The  words  rose  to  her  lips  of  their  own  accord.  A  kind 
of  desperate  courage  to  endure  to  the  uttermost  came  in 
the  place  of  trust. 

Mrs.  Weir  went  in  and  out  quietly,  or  took  a  snatch  of 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  19 

sleep  in  her  chair.  Occasionally  Eleanor  stole  away  for  & 
glimpse  of  the  still,  death-like  face,  or  comforted  her 
mother  in  soothing  tones.  At  last,  morning  dawned,  and 
they  came  back  to  common  life  in  Mrs.  Weir's  rather  worn 
sitting-room,  so  different  from  the  cheerful  brightness  of 
Home  Nook. 

Dr.  Conway  pronounced  his  patient  improved,  though 
it  was  apparent  to  none  save  a  medical  eye.  Mrs.  Ash- 
burton  held  a  long  consultation  with  him,  and  it  was 
deemed  best  to  remove  Mr.  Ashburton  as  soon  as  it  would 
be  safe. 

"His  recovery  will  be  tedious,  for  he  no  longer  has 
youth  on  his  side.  Still,  I  think  it  is  possible,  if  he  can  be 
kept  free  from  all  care  and  perplexity.  This  is  his  first 
serious  illness." 

This  fiat  of  the  doctor's  seemed  positively  good  news  to 
Mrs.  Ashburton,  and  her  heart  rose  in  gratitude  to  God. 
The  trial  that  lay  behind  it  all  she  could  not  see. 

Her  own  health  had  been  delicate  for  many  years,  and 
her  feeling  even  now  was  that  she  could  better  be  spared 
than  her  husband.  But  God  knew  best,  and  she  tried  to 
keep  near  him  in  this  time  of  trouble. 


HOME   NOOK,    OB 


CHAPTER  H. 

TOGETHER  IN   COUNCIL. 

NEARLY  three  weeks  had  elapsed  since  the  day  of  Mr. 
Ashburton's  illness.  As  soon  as  it  was  practicable,  he  had 
been  removed  to  Home  Nook,  but  his  improvement  was 
very  slow  indeed.  They  nursed  him  in  a  quiet,  devoted 
manner,  and  forbore  to  mention  any  exciting  topics  in  his 
presence.  He  had  recognized  them  all,  and,  though  very 
weak,  had  regained  the  use  of  his  limbs ;  so  they  were 
quite  hopeful. 

Mr.  Weir  had  been  up  on  business,  bearing  kind  mes- 
sages from  Mr.  Stanhope.  The  prospect  was  not  very 
encouraging.  When  it  was  found  that  the  regular  assets 
would  not  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  creditors,  Mr.  Stan- 
hope relinquished  his  property  at  once.  A  house  quite 
heavily  mortgaged,  but  handsomely  furnished,  was  all  that 
he  had  to  offer.  There  was  some  property  belonging  to 
his  daughter,  that  had  been  left  by  her  mother,  and  this, 
of  course,  was  not  his,  but  he  mentioned  it  in  a  manly 
fashion. 

Mr.  Stanhope  was  a  widower  with  one  child,  a  daughter, 
who  was  at  a  boarding  school ;  so  the  change  in  household 
matters  would  not  prove  as  important  to  them  as  to  the 
Ashburtons.  He  seemed  to  take  his  reverse  of  fortune 
bravely,  and  was  most  anxious  to  satisfy  all  those  with 
whom  he  had  any  dealings. 

His  course  tended  naturally  to  throw  the  blame  upon 
Mr.  Ashburton,  who  had  been  living  much  more  expen- 
sively, it  was  supposed.  A  word  of  suspicion  at  such  a 
time  does  incalculable  injury.  Mr.  Ashburton  was  one  of 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  21 

those  gentlemanly,  easy-going  persons,  extremely  generous 
kind  to  inferiors,  and  universally  esteemed,  except  that  he 
had  not  been  considered  very  sharp  in  a  business  way. 

With  his  advantages,  many  thought  that  he  ought  to 
have  amassed  a  handsome  fortune.  He  possessed  a  fine 
sense  of  honor,  that  would  not  have  allowed  him  to  over- 
reach in  bargain-making.  Yet  there  had  grown  up  a 
strange  misgiving  of  doubt  and  dissatisfaction  concerning 
him.  No  one  could  tell  just  how  it  started,  but  anxious 
creditors  considered  merely  their  own  interests,  and  when 
it  was  hinted  that  he  had  been  living  far  beyond  his  means, 
they  were  not  disposed  to  be  particularly  lenient.  It  is 
such  an  easy  thing  to  see  the  faults  of  those  who  are  in 
adversity. 

At  Home  Nook  they  hardly  realized  the  extent  of  their 
misfortunes.  Jessie  and  Madge  had  been  in  despair  at 
first,  for  an  illness  like  their  father's  had  but  one  meaning 
and  end  for  them  —  death.  Mrs.  Ashburton  scarcely  left 
her  husband's  side,  and  thought  no  evil  could  be  compared 
to  his  possible  loss.  So  Eleanor  brooded  over  the  coming 
change  in  silence. 

The  weather  proved  stormy  and  inclement.  Philip  was 
only  partially  informed  of  the  state  of  affairs.  Eleanor 
had  no  heart  to  disclose  the  worst,  and  since  he  could  do 
no  actual  good  by  coming,  she  did  not  consider  it  worth 
while  to  interrupt  his  studies. 

However,  he  was  not  long  in  hearing  a  confused  news- 
paper statement,  that  fell  upon  him  with  a  crushing  weight. 
u  It  surely  cannot  be  true,"  he  said  to  himself,  and  imme- 
diately asked  for  leave  of  absence. 

Turning  his  glance  back  upon  the  college  buildings,  hii 
brain  was  filled  with  busy  thoughts  and  hopes.  Eighteen 
months  before  he  had  entered  Yale  with  an  earnest  am- 
bition to  distinguish  himself.  He  had  marked  out  a  careef 
that  suited  every  faculty  of  his  soul.  After  his  classical 
studies  would  come  medicine,  then  a  few  years  abroad, 


22  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

and  a  life  of  interest  to  himself  and  usefulness  to  hit 
fellow-creatures.  How  many  times  he  had  dreamed  this 
overl  The  pleasant  home  that  he  was  to  make,  the  pride 
that  his  parents  would  take  in  his  career,  and  the  tender 
regard  of  his  sisters !  Home  Nook  would  always  be  the 
central  point  of  their  love,  no  matter  how  far  they  might 
stray.  Whatever  toil,  or  labor,  or  success  crowned  their 
lives,  would  be  enhanced  by  the  benediction  of  this  dear 
place,  where  they  might  meet  year  after  year.  But  what 
if  these  dreams  were  never  realized  ? 

That  day  another  incident  had  occurred  at  Home  Nook. 
About  noon  a  sleigh  drove  up  the  avenue,  crunching  over 
the  icy  road. 

Madge  ran  to  the  window.  Some  one  enveloped  in  vel- 
vet and  furs,  and  a  snowy  plume  nodding  from  the  French 
bonnet. 

"Aunt  Waltham!"  she  exclaimed,  in  surprise. 

A  slight  expression  of  dissatisfaction  crossed  Jessie's 
face ;  then  she  checked  it  immediately.  It  was  kind  in  her 
to  come,  for  she  could  not  tell  that  they  would  rather  be 
alone. 

Eleanor  rose  in  her  usual  self-possessed  fashion,  and 
stepping  into  the  hall,  requested  the  servant  to  send  their 
visitor  up  stairs.  There  she  stood  awaiting  her. 

"  My  dear,  dear  Eleanor  1 "  and  the  young  woman  found 
herself  clasped  in  a  warm  embrace.  "  My  poor,  sorrowing 
child!" 

Since  Mr.  Ashburton's  illness,  they  had  seen  but  few 
visitors.  Many  of  their  neighbors  had  kindly  offered  any 
assistance,  but  delicately  withheld  officious  intrusion. 

Eleanor  was  unnerved  for  an  instant  by  the  deep  emo- 
tion expressed  in  the  tone ;  then  recovering  herself,  she 
ushered  Aunt  Waltham  into  the  room. 

The  lady  greeted  Madge  and  Jessie  with  tender  cordial- 
ity,  and  at  Eleanor's  solicitation,  began  to  remove  her 
wrappings. 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  23 

**  How  is  your  father  ?  "  she  asked,  presently.  "  I  confess 
I  was  so  shocked  at  the  tidings  that  I  could  hardly  believe 
them  true." 

"  Papa  is  improving.  He  has  recognized  us  all,!"  Madge 
answered,  hopefully. 

"  Was  it  really  paralysis,  and  superinduced  by  losses  ?  I 
thought  some  of  you  would  have  written." 

"  I  suppose  we  waited  every  day  for  more  of  a  certainty," 
Eleanor  replied,  gravely  apologizing. 

"True,  my  dear,  you  have  had  a  great  deal  of  care. 
Philip  is  home,  of  course." 

"  No.  It  was  a  week  before  we  could  bring  papa  home, 
though  he  rallied  in  a  slight  degree  very  soon.  Since 
there  appeared  no  immediate  danger,mamma  and  I  thought 
it  better  not  to  interrupt  him." 

"  Is  your  father  able  to  sit  up  ?  " 

"  Only  for  a  short  time." 

"When  I  heard  the  news  I  felt  that  I  must  come  imme- 
diately, but  I  reached  town  so  late  that  I  spent  the  night 
at  Mrs.  Everett's ! " 

Mrs.  Waltham  gave  Eleanor  a  searching  glance  as  she 
uttered  these  words.  The  young  girl  was  silent,  though 
she  knew  that  her  aunt  must  have  heard  all  there  was  to 
tell. 

"  Is  it  true,  my  dear  ?  "  she  asKed,  rather  hesitatingly  — 
"  this  story  —  about  the  business?  " 

"  Yes,  aunt  Waltham.  Mr.  Stanhope  has  already  given 
up  everything,  and  I  suppose  we  must  do  the  same." 

Madgo  resolutely  winked  away  a  tear.  If  it  was  hard 
to  confess  the  fact,  it  was  some  gratification  to  have  the 
listener  aunt  Waltham. 

That  lady  did  not  like  the  hard  manner  of  stating  it, 
though,  for  that  matter,  refinement  was  not  one  of  Madge's 
characteristics. 

"  But  your  father  has  certainly  made  some  provision  1 
I  was  talking  to  him  a  year  or  two  ago  about  settling  this 
place  upon  your  mother." 


24  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"Mr.  Stanhope  did  not  keep  his,"  said  outspoken  Madge 

"There  was  very  little  of  it;"  and  a  touch  of  contempt 
tinged  Mrs.  Waltham's  tone.  "In  fact,  my  dear  Eleanor, 
affairs  are  in  a  very  bad  state,  to  say  the  least.  I  know 
your  father  had  this  place  clear,  and  it  doesn't  seem  quite 
right  that  he  should  do  so  much  while  Mr.  Stanhope  gets 
off  with  a  little.  A  man  ought  to  think  of  his  family  first. 
I  hope  there  has  been  some  arrangement  made." 

Madge  felt  her  blood  rising  with  every  word.  Now  she 
said  hurriedly, — 

"Papa  will  do  just  what  is  right,  and  it  is  right  to  pay 
one's  debts.  Neither  mamma  nor  any  of  us  would  feel 
willing  to  keep  this  house,  dear  as  it  is,  if  it  had  to  be  done 
dishonorably." 

"  Madge,  you  know  nothing  about  business,"  replied  her 
aunt,  sharply. 

"  I  hope  I  know  enough  to  be  honest,"  the  child  re- 
turned, with  heightened  color. 

"  We  were  not  discussing  honesty,"  her  aunt  said,  dryly. 
"  And  now,  my  dear  Eleanor,  tell  me  all  the  particulars  of 
this  sad  event.  You  know  that  my  interest  and  anxiety 
must  be  great." 

Eleanor  gave  a  brief  account  of  the  first  alarm  and  the 
subsequent  results.  Mr.  Ashburton's  illness  had  so  far 
prevented  any  settlement.  She  did  not  know  how  they 
stood,  but  she  feared  that  everything  would  be  swept 
away. 

"It  is  most  unfortunate,  for,  at  your  papa's  time  of  life, 
it  is  so  difficult  to  make  a  new  start !  And  how  does  your 
mamma  bear  it?  I  should  think  that,  with  her  poor  health, 
it  would  have  crushed  her  at  once." 

"  Mamma  has  endured  bravely  so  far.  We  have  not 
talked  much  about  the  business  part,  as  there  seemed  no 
use  in  adding  to  her  cares  until  we  knew  the  worst." 

Eleanor's  voice  faltered  a  little.    After  all,  they 
sure,  and  it  was  only  playing  at  hope  thus  to  delay. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  25 

"Of  course  not.  It  is  like  your  thoughtfulness,  Eleanor;" 
and  aunt  Waltham  gave  Madge  a  reproving  glance,  as 
much  as  to  say  that  no  heroic  virtues  could  be  expected 
from  her.  Then  the  lady  drew  near  the  fire,  and  began  to 
toast  her  feet. 

Presently  the  bell  rang  for  lunch,  and  the  girls  hailed  it 
as  a  relief,  for  aunt  Waltham  was  not  a  great  favorite  with 
either  of  them,  Yet  the  change  did  not  extinguish  the 
subject. 

"What  a  misfortune  that  Clement  should  be  away  just 
at  this  crisis ! "  she  began,  sipping  her  tea  with  languid 
grace.  "With  his  energy  and  assistance,  you  might  be 
extricated  from  the  difficulty.  If  you  could  send  for  him 
—  but  it  would  be  all  over  before  he  could  return.  I  am 
very  sorry  that  he  went." 

"But  if  he  makes  a  fortune!  "  exclaimed  Madge. 

"There  are  fortunes  to  be  made  here.  I  never  did  ap- 
prove of  young  men  starting  off  as  soon  as  they  could  be 
useful.  And  now  you  need  him  sorely,  for  Philip  is  too 
young  to  be  of  much  account." 

They  had  all  wished,  dozens  of  times,  for  Clement's 
quick  brain  and  cool  judgment.  In  their  forlorn  state,  his 
strong  and  tender  heart  would  have  proved  an  inestimable 
comfort. 

Afterwards  Eleanor  went  to  announce  their  visitor  to 
her  mother,  and  presently  aunt  Waltham  was  received  in 
the  invalid's  room.  Madge  and  Jessie  retired  to  the  library. 

"It's  too  bad  to  let  the  house  go,  but  it  would  be  mean 
and  dishonest  to  cheat,"  Madge  exclaimed  with  much 
warmth.  "  I  should  hate  to  have  such  a  thing  on  my  con- 
science. If  we  could  only  do  something,  Jessie  ! " 

Madge  had  turned  this  idea  over  many  times  in  her 
brain.  She  felt  so  energetic  and  courageous  that  she 
longed  to  go  to  work  at  once,  and  do  her  very  best.  If 
she  were  a  man,  how  many  paths  would  be  opened  to  herl 

"We  shall  have  enough  to  do  by  and  by,"  Jessie  re 


26  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

turned,  soberly.     "  It  will  not  be  an  easy  matter  to  make 
ourselves  content  with  all  the  changes." 

"And  you  know  what  I  was  talking  about  that  night, 
Jessie — feeling  thankful  for  trouble.  Now  that  it  has 
come,  I  am  afraid  I  don't  like  it  —  very  much." 

Jessie  smiled  at  the  perplexed  little  face,  and  yet  her 
OM-n  eyes  filled  slowly  with  tears. 

When  aunt  Waltham  returned  to  the  sitting-room,  she 
found  Eleanor  alone,  much  to  her  delight. 

"My  poor  child,"  she  exclaimed,  in  the  tenderest  of 
tones,  "this  is  indeed  a  cruel  blow,  and  it  will  fall  the 
heaviest  upon  you.  Your  mamma  has  not  the  forethought 
to  realize  how  much  it  will  affect  you  all  —  " 

"But  I  have  not  told  her,"  interrupted  the  daughter. 
"  I  thought  she  required  her  strength  for  nursing  papa." 

"  Well,  it  is  the  town  talk,  and  is  not  considered  much 
of  a  secret,  though  it  is  like  your  generous  heart  to  bear 
the  burden  alone.  Your  mamma  is  so  fond  of  seclusion 
that  it  will  make  little  difference  to  her,  but  it  ruins  your 
prospects  completely.  I  confess  I  can't  see  what  you  are 
all  to  do.  Your  father  never  was  the  one  to  look  ahead. 
The  Ashburtons  are  just  that  sort  of  come-day,  go-day 
people;  but  I  have  learned  a  little  by  experience.  If  this 
place  had  been  settled  upon  your  mother ! " 

Eleanor  knew  in  her  heart  that  her  mother  would  not 
have  kept  it  a  day,  but  her  nature  was  not  as  courageous 
as  that  of  Madge ;  so  she  simply  said,  — 

"  What  do  you  think  of  papa  ?  " 

"  I  was  surprised  to  see  so  great  an  improvement.  His 
mind  seems  rather  weak  and  confused,  but  he  inherits  a 
good  constitution  from  both  sides  of  the  family.  I  haven't 
any  doubt  but  that  he  will  recover." 

"I  am  so  glad!"  and  a  sudden  hope  thrilled  through 
Eleanor's  heart. 

"Though  I  cannot  imagine  how  it  will  be  possible  for 
him  to  make  a  new  start  in  these  dull  times.  The  stagna- 
tion in  business  is  fearful." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  27 

Eleanor  wondered  within  herself  when  he  would  be  able 
to  think  of  business  again. 

"  You  will  feel  it  so  much  more  keenly  than  Madge  or 
Jessie,"  aunt  Waltham  went  on,  with  winning  softness. 
I  always  said  you  were  much  like  myself,  and  such  a  blow 
would  kill  me.  With  your  refinement  and  sensitiveness, 
you  will  be  miserable  in  any  coarse,  common  sphere." 

Mrs.  Waltham  was  one  of  those  persons  who  believed 
that  poverty  must  necessarily  be  coarse  and  vulgar. 

Eleanor  winced  a  little.  There  was  much  in  the  im- 
pending change  that  filled  her  with  dismay. 

"  To  an  educated  and  refined  person,  certain  surround- 
ings are  absolutely  necessary.  It  seems  to  be  a  law  of 
nature.  Now,  Jessie  could  take  to  kitchen-work,  and  I 
dare  say  Madge,  when  a  little  older,  could  teach  school 
without  the  slightest  feeling  on  the  subject ;  but  you  could 
not,  my  dear  Eleanor.  The  least  word  or  slight  would 
sink  deeply  into  your  soul." 

Eleanor  Ashburton  felt  that  this  was  true.  Was  she  to 
blame  for  her  nature  ? 

"  And  this  is  why  I  sympathize  so  keenly  with  you.  In 
your  own  set  you  could  marry  well,  but  in  the  grade  below, 
vou  will  find  few  men  of  attractive  mind  or  manner.  You 

» 

cannot  mix  with  the  vulgar  mass,  and  will  always  seem 
isolated.  Dear  child,  I  wish  that  you  belonged  to  me." 

Eleanor's  eyes  filled  with  tears.  Something  in  the  pity- 
ing voice  soothed  while  it  stirred  up  rebellion. 

Mrs.  Waltham  was  emphatically  a  woman  of  the  world. 
Not  wanting  in  certain  kindly  and  generous  elements, 
which  many  people  esteem  as  the  higher  virtues,  she  was 
gracefully  charitable  to  delicate  poverty,  and  performed 
many  meritorious  acts  of  kindness  ;  but  to  pinching  want, 
accompanied  with  rags,  gaunt  faces,  and  obscurity,  she 
turned  a  deaf  ear.  It  was  part  of  her  creed  that  no  one 
need  be  ignorant,  dirty,  or  ragged.  There  were  public 
schools  on  the  one  hand,  and  charitable  institutions  for  the 


28  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

sick  and  destitute.  Those  who  would  not  improve  these 
means  of  comfort  deserved  to  suffer.  She  could  discourse 
eloquently  upon  these  topics,  and  she  was  considered  in 
her  circle  a  very  superior  woman. 

For  herself  she  wanted  all  the  elegances  of  life.  Any 
sacrifice  of  her  own  comfort  and  ease  would  not  have  been 
endurable.  She  had  no  sympathy  with  the  high  heroism 
of  earnest  souls  who  worked  their  way  upward  over  thorny 
paths.  To  strengthen  Eleanor  for  the  life  and  duties  that 
lay  before  her  was  like  folly  to  Mrs.  Waltham.  On  the 
contrary,  she  was  already  speculating  whether  it  would  not 
still  be  possible  to  make  Eleanor's  handsome  face  redeem 
her  misfortunes.  Poor  girls  did  sometimes  marry  well. 

But  she  was  wise  enough  to  give  no  hint  of  this.  The 
other  girls,  being  so  much  younger,  were  not  as  settled  in 
their  tastes  and  habits,  and  could  readily  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  new  life  that  was  inevitable. 

Eleanor  listened  to  the  plausible  arguments  and  tender 
but  specious  sympathies,  until,  in  an  incomprehensible  way, 
she  seemed  absolutely  wronged  by  the  late  events.  And 
if  some  exertion  on  her  part  would  be  necessary,  what 
could  she  do?  Teach  music,  with  her  fine  ear,  to  which 
the  slightest  discord  was  torture?  or  take  a  situation  in  a 
school,  which  would  be  equally  distasteful  ? 

The  sun  was  sinking  slowly,  sending  level  yellow  rays 
through  the  half-closed  blinds,  when  there  was  another 
stir  through  the  quiet  house.  Madge  had  seen  Philip 
coming  up  the  walk,  and  ran  eagerly  to  the  hall  door. 

"  Madge  !  My  poor  darlings ! "  and  he  clasped  both  sis- 
ters to  his  heart.  "  Why  was  I  not  sent  for  ?  And  dear 
papa  —  " 

"He  is  better,  Philip,  and  Nelly  thought  —  " 

"  But  as  Clement  is  away,  I  surely  come  next.  And  I 
never  dreamed  of  anything  so  bad  as  this  business.  1 
have  been  in  the  city  since  ten  this  morning.  Do  you 
know—" 


THE  CROWN   OP  DUTY.  29 

Madge  and  Jessie  were  both  sobbing  in  Philip's  arms. 
The  brave  fellow  swallowed  a  lump  in  his  throat  and  tried 
to  steady  his  voice  for  a  word.  But  at  eighteen  it  was  a 
hard  blow,  and  to  him  there  was  a  keener  sting  than  the 
loss. 

"  But  we  will  be  honest,  Philip.  If  the  house  must  go, 
we  will  not  cheat  or  do  anything  wrong." 

That  was  Madge's  entreaty. 

"  Heaven  forbid ! "  he  exclaimed,  fervently.  I  hope  no 
one  thought  of  that,  and  if  so,  it  is  too  late.  I  want  the 
debts  paid,  if  we  do  not  have  a  dollar  left." 

Eleanor  came  flying  down  the  stairs,  glad  to  hear  the 
strong,  inspiriting  voice.  And  between  them  all  they  led 
him  into  the  library,  where  they  talked  and  cried  together 

"  Aunt  Waltham  is  here,"  Eleanor  said,  at  length. 

"  I  am  glad  to  have  her  remember  us  in  our  adversity," 
Philip  replied,  cheerfully.  "But  it  is  too  bad  that  you 
should  have  borne  this  alone." 

"  There  has  not  been  much  so  far,  only  the  sickness.  Dr. 
Conway  said  that  papa  must  not  be  agitated,  and  mamma 
thought  it  best  not  to  disturb  you  until  we  knew  the  facts. 
Indeed,  she  does  not  imagine  the  full  extent  of  our  misfor- 
tune. I  have  not  had  the  heart  to  tell  her." 

"  You  have  seen  the  papers  ?  " 

"Yes,"  and  Eleanor's  fair  face  flushed. 

"  Papa's  honesty  has  been  called  in  question.  My  one 
prayer  is,  that  there  may  be  enough  to  cover  the  debts.  I 
want  no  one  to  suffer  through  us." 

"  We  will  give  up  everything,"  Jessie  said,  with  quiet 
firmness. 

"  Yes,  my  darling.  Now,  I  must  go  and  see  mamma, 
and  then  for  a  talk  by  the  fireside.  I  almost  wish  aunt 
Waltham  was  not  here.  Nelly,  what  a  dear,  brave  girl 
you  have  been!" 

Eleanor  colored  with  vivid  consciousness.  She  had 
borne  each  day's  trials  with  a  kind  of  defiant  strength  but 


80  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

somehow  she  felt  that  it  was  not  true  courage.  Neither 
was  she  at  all  resigned.  The  tender  grace  that  brings  re- 
liance upon  God  and  trust  in  him  was  yet  to  come.  She 
was  trying  the  dreary  waste  of  waters  in  her  own  strength. 
Well  for  her  if  she  was  not  forced  to  say,  some  day,  "All 
thy  waves  and  storms  are  gone  over 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  81 


CHAPTER  III. 

A     CROSS     FOB     ALL. 

THE  shutters  were  closed,  the  curtains  drawn,  and  the 
little  group  around  the  fireside  had  no  thought  for  the  mid- 
winter night  without,  but  looked  at  Philip  with  expectant 
faces.  Even  aunt  Waltham  appeared  deeply  interested. 

"  And  you  had  a  long  talk  with  this  person,  Philip.  You 
said  his  name  was  Weir  —  did  you  not?  " 

Mrs.  Waltham  usually  designated  those  in  inferior 
stations  as  persons — beings  rendered  necessary  by  circum- 
stances. 

"  Yes,  I  was  there  nearly  all  day." 

"  Are  you  sure  nothing  can  be  saved  ?  " 

"Papa  has  no  right  to  anything  when  there  is  barely 
enough  to  pay  his  debts,"  Philip  replied,  almost  bluntly. 

Madge  gave  his  hand  a  tender  little  squeeze. 

"  I  think  it  very  hard  to  work  all  one's  life  and  not  have 
anything,  and  then  to  be  laid  upon  a  sick-bed !  These 
events  occur  so  frequently  in  financial  circles,  that  one 
ought  to  make  some  provision  in  prosperity." 

"  I  don't  know  how  papa  could  unless  he  had  put  hia 
property  out  of  his  hands ;  and  I  am  very  thankful  now, 
for  if  his  good  name  is  called  in  question,  we  shall  be  able 
to  answer  truly  that  we  have  not  kept  back  a  farthing." 

"  Want  of  success  is  as  bad  as  a  crime  in  this  world," 
Mrs,  Waltham  said,  dryly. 

"But  success  is  not  always  within  one's  reach.  It  is 
very  strange,  though,  for  Mr.  Weir  said  the  house  was  in 
an  excellent  condition  in  the  fall.  He  thinks  —  " 

Philip  checked  himself,  for  Mr.  Weir's  suspicion  had 


32  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

been  hardly  expressed,  and  he  had  no  right  to  repeat  it  at 
present. 

"I  spent  last  niglit  at  the  Everetts',  and  they  were  dis- 
cussing it.  Mr.  Everett  thought  it  very  singular  that  so 
good  a  house  should  go  down  so  suddenly,  unless  affairs 
had  been  very  loosely  conducted.  And  it's  odd  that  Mr. 
Stanhope  should  have  so  little." 

"The  more  need  of  our  giving  up  everything." 

"To  pay  his  debts,"  was  the  rather  angry  rejoinder. 

"  No,  aunt  Waltham ;  papa  is  responsible  only  for  half, 
since  it  can  be  proved  by  the  books  that  they  have  shared 
alike." 

"I  dare  say  that  he  has  made  a  better  use  of  it,"  was 
the  reply,  with  considerable  asperity. 

Mrs.  Waltham  was  vexed  with  the  scrupulousness  that 
Philip  displayed.  While  she  would  not  have  counselled 
any  open  fraud,  if  by  sharp  management  even  a  small  sum 
could  have  been  saved,  she  would  have  approved  of  it. 

"  Papa's  illness  is  the  most  unfortunate  part.  Mr.  Weir 
thinks  that  if  he  could  explain  a  few  matters,  it  would 
render  the  settlement  much  easier." 

"  Why  doesn't  he  go  to  Mr.  Stanhope  ?  " 

ttl  believe  Mr.  Stanhope  has  given  all  the  facts  within 
his  province." 

"  Your  father  has  been  too  easy  and  credulous,  Philip. 
He  might  just  as  well  have  been  independent  by  this  time ; 
and  here  he  is,  helpless  himself,  with  a  family  —  " 

"But  we  all    have  youth  and  health,  and  can   work, 
interrupted   Philip.     "I,  for  one,  will   forego   my  hopes 
and  take  up  my  burden.     I  am  sorry  for  the  girls  and 
mamma — " 

u  I  am  not  sure  that  it  will  be  so  very  bad,"  said  Madge, 
reflectively.  "Think  how  nicely  Miss  Foster  and  her 
mother  live  on  what  she  earns  by  teaching  school.  They 
always  look  so  cosy  and  pretty,  and  Miss  Foster  makes 
inch  lovely  cone  frames  and  baskets,  and  has  such  a  bean 


THE   CROWN  OF  DUTY.  33 

tiful  collection  of  skeleton  leaves.  And  she  actually  cash* 
ioned  a  chair  that  looks  just  as  if  it  had  been  done  by  an 
upholsterer." 

"  When  you  are  forty,  Madge,  you  may  possibly  emulate 
this  object  of  your  admiration,  if  cone  frames  and  albums 
of  dried  leaves  have  not  gone  out  of  fashion,"  was  the 
rather  contemptuous  rejoinder. 

"  We  shall  find  something  to  do,  little  Madge,"  Philip 
said,  twining  his  arm  around  her  neck. 

There  was  a  silence  of  many  minutes.  Each  one  was 
busy  thinking.  Sad  enough  were  they  all  at  heart. 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do  first  ? "  aunt  Waltham 
asked  presently. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  the  business  settled  as  soon  as 
possible.  Of  course  we  must  leave  Home  Nook." 

It  fell  like  a  stern  sentence  upon  them  all.  They  had 
known  it  before,  but  they  had  hitherto  appended  an  "if" 
to  their  misfortunes,  with  that  resolute  clinging  to  hope 
which  seems  a  constituent  element  in  human  nature. 

"  And  you  ?  "  Eleanor  said,  hesitatingly,  glancing  at  her 
brother. 

"  I  shall  look  for  a  situation  in  some  business  where  1 
can  get  the  highest  salary.  You  see  I  am  growing  mer- 
cenary already;"  and  he  gave  a  faint  smile. 

"  I  think  it  would  be  wisdom  to  send  for  Clement." 

"  I  do  not  agree  with  you  there,  aunt  Waltham.  If  he 
should  be  prospered,  he  may  be  able  to  do  in  a  few  years 
what  it  would  take  him  a  lifetime  to  accomplish  here. 
Some  day  he  may  be  rich  enough  to  buy  back  Home 
Nook." 

"O!"  exclaimed  Madge,  "we  ought  all  to  set  ourselves 
about  that.  There  will  never  be  so  precious  a  place  in  the 
wide  world.  Like  the  old  knight's  quest  for  the  San  Greal, 
Philip." 

"  Without  a  Sir  Galahad,"  he  returned,  sadly. 

"  No,  you  are  to  be  that." 
8 


34  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

"  Do  stop  your  nonsense,  Madge  1 "  said  aunt  Waltham. 
who  did  not  feel  in  a  very  serene  mood.  "  Philip  will 
have  other  things  to  occupy  his  attention.  I  wonder  that 
you  can  be  so  childish  at  such  a  time." 

The  quick  tears  sprang  to  her  eyes.  How  many  delight- 
ful evenings  they  had  enjoyed  with  mamma,  who  never 
checked  their  fancies,  and  always  took  an  interest  in  their 
little  schemes  !  Madge  wished  she  could  talk  to  her  cow. 
Although  there  was  a  nurse  in  Mr.  Ashburton's  room,  his 
wife  rarely  left  it. 

Philip  tried  not  to  rouse  aunt  Waltham  in  the  discus- 
sion about  business  that  followed,  but  she  was  quite  in- 
clined to  cavil  at  his  suggestions.  It  was  a  relief  to  all 
when  she  proposed  to  retire. 

.     "  I  will  go  and  take  one  more  look  at  poor  brother,"  she 
Baid,  motioning  to  Eleanor,  who  left  the  room  also. 

"I'm  glad  she  has  gone,"  exclaimed  Madge,  with  much 
satisfaction.  "She  always  throws  a  grim  shadow  over 
everything.  I  never  could  understand  Nelly's  liking  for 
her." 

"  But  she  is  very  sweet  to  Nelly." 

"On  account  of  her  beauty  and  style,  I  suppose;"  and 
Madge  laughed.  "  Somehow,  Philip,  I  don't  feel  utterly 
cast  down,  hard  as  it  is." 

"  I  am  very  glad,  my  darling.     And  you,  Jessie  ?  " 

Jessie's  lip  quivered,  and  a  soft  flush  stole  to  her  brow. 

"If  papa  was  well,  and  mamma  didn't  mind,  we  could 
bear  it  quite  comfortably,  I  think.  But  is  it  true,  Philip, 
that  something  has  been  said  about  papa  ?  " 

"  There  are  enough  standing  ready  to  cast  a  stone. 
When  I  think  how  kind  and  generous  papa  has  always 
been,  and  how  he  has  helped  others  out  of  trouble,  it  al- 
most makes  me  angry." 

"They  don't  say  that  papa  has  not  been  honest?" 

Madge's  face  was  aflame  with  indignation,  and  her  voioe 
faltered. 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  35 

"Not  exactly  that,  but  they  insinuate  that  he  has  been 
living  beyond  his  means,  and  since  he  has  this  handsome 
property,  and  Mr.  Stanhope  hardly  anything,  there  is 
something  wrong  about  it.  I  can't  get  it  out  ot  my  mind 
but  that  there  has  been  unfair  dealing,  only  I  am  sure 
papa  is  innocent.  I  would  not  say  this  before  aunt 
Waltbam." 

Madge  rose  and  stood  in  the  firelight,  the  imperson- 
ation of  scorn,  her  eyes  brilliant,  her  cheeks  glowing  in 
scarlet. 

"Papa  guilty  of  anything  dishonorable!"  she  cried. 
"  It  is  a  cruel  and  wicked  falsehood  !  I  could  almost  be 
glad  that  he  is  sick,  and  can  hear  nothing  of  it!" 

"It  is  bitter  and  unjust,  when  he  has  always  been  so 
good,"  exclaimed  Jessie,  her  faith  receiving  a  shock. 

"Mr.  Stanhope  wants  the  business  hurried  through,  as 
he  has  received  some  kind  of  an  offer  to  go  to  Europe. 
Mr.  Weir  is  coming  up  again  to-morrow.  We  shall  all 
have  to  make  sacrifices ; "  and  Philip  sighed  wearily. 

"  And  it  falls  hard  enough  upon  you,  Phil,"  Madge  said, 
earnestly,  kissing  the  thoughtful  brow. 

"  There  is  a  long  life  before  me,  in  all  probability,  and  I 
may  be  able  to  regain  what  I  lose  now.  I  expect  to  be  a 
doctor,  and  all  that,  if  it  is  a  dozen  years  hence." 

"'All  that'  means  to  have  Home  Nook  back  again,  I 
suppose,"  Madge  said,  with  a  bright  look. 

"  Dear  old  home  !  You  remember  when  we  christened 
it  ?  Papa  was  so  glad  to  have  it  in  perfect  order  and  out 
of  debt!  And  we  had  planned  such  long,  happy  years 
here.  Yes,  I  shall  never  rest  until  it  is  ours  again." 

"If  I  could  only  do  something!"  began  Madge,  ener- 
getically. "  Some  women,  when  they  are  grown,  paint  pic- 
tures and  write  books." 

"  And  which  do  you  think  you  will  achieve  ?  "  he  asked, 
with  a  smile. 

"  Neither,  I  am  afraid.    I  don't  believe  I  have  a  ">it  of 


86  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

genius,"   she    said,  sorrowfully,  but   with   real    humility. 
"  Only  I  will  try  to  do  my  best." 

"  That  is  all  any  one  can  ask.  We  must  keep  mamma 
from  feeling  the  difference  too  plainly.  Now,  it  is  high 
time  that  you  and  Jessie  were  in  bed." 

They  bade  each  other  a  tender  good  night,  and  paused 
for  a  moment  in  papa's  room.  It  did  make  them  feel 
stronger  to  have  Philip  home. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  when  Eleanor  sought  her  apart- 
ment. All  day  her  brain  had  been  distracted  with  con- 
tending emotions.  Some  peculiar  phase  of  mind  led  her 
through  to  the  girls'  room,  which  Madge  and  Jessie  always 
shared. 

They  were  sleeping  peacefully,  Jessie  fair  and  calm,  as 
if  no  troublous  thoughts  haunted  her  pillow ;  Madge,  half 
smiling,  the  scarlet  lips  slightly  apart,  and  the  bright  curls 
carelessly  shading  her  smooth  brow. 

An  almost  bitter  expression  passed  over  Eleanor's  face. 
What  did  they  know  of  care  and  anxiety  about  the 
future  ?  Aunt  Waltham  was  right  —  it  would  be  no  great 
cross  to  them  —  partly  because  they  were  too  young,  but 
more,  she  believed,  from  the  fact  that  their  natures  were 
radically  different,  and  could  not  suffer  to  the  extent  that 
hers  would.  And  she  began  to  feel  with  her  aunt,  that  some- 
thing  might  have  been  done  in  prosperity  to  secure  them 
against  such  an  utter  reversion  as  this.  She  could  never 
be  light-hearted  and  happy  again.  These  events  would 
sink  deeply  into  her  soul,  and  the  daily  wear  of  trials  and 
cares  bow  her  to  the  earth.  All  the  brightness  and  beauty 
of  life  was  over  for  her. 

She  did  not  think  that,  through  all  the  doubt  and  dark- 
ness, Jessie  was  clinging  in  simple  faith  to  the  support 
more  sure  than  any  human  strength,  and  that  even  if  God 
had  allowed  this  to  come  upon  them,  he  would  lead  them 
through  perilous  paths,  and  bring  them  to  the  house  Beau 
tiful  at  last. 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  37 

Childish  Madge  had  said  with  a  sob  and  a  smile,  "  Jessie, 
darling,  I  can  never  be  as  good  as  you  and  mamma,  but  I 
keep  praying  that  God  will  show  me  the  right  way." 

But  Eleanor  uttered  no  prayer,  neither  did  she  bow  her 
head  to  the  storm.  Their  tranquillity  came,  she  fancied, 
from  an  inability  to  comprehend  the  higher  losses  that 
would  be  hers ;  and  while  she  wished  for  a  calmer  mood, 
she  still  prided  herself  upon  her  keener  suffering,  as  if  it 
raised  her  above  them. 

The  next  morning  Philip  had  a  long  interview  with  tig 
father.  Mrs.  Ashburton  was  not  as  ignorant  of  the  busi- 
ness as  Eleanor  supposed.  In  his  reaction  from  stupor, 
her  husband  had  referred  to  the  events  of  the  day  that  had 
proved  so  nearly  fatal  to  him,  and  she  gathered  that  the 
loss  would  be  total.  Philip,  therefore,  took  her  into  coun- 
sel at  once. 

"I  cannot  seem  to  remember,"  Mr.  Ashburton  said  weakly, 
with  an  entreating  glance  at  his  son.  "  I  meant  to  go 
over  it  all.  I  think  there  was  some  mistake." 

"  Mr.  Weir  explained  it  to  me  yesterday.  The  creditors 
are  anxious  for  a  settlement.  Some  of  them  are  in  urgent 
need,  I  believe." 

And  yet  Philip  thought  that  his  father  would  never  have 
so  pushed  an  unfortunate  man. 

«  Will  it  take  all  ?  " 

The  eyes  questioned  with  an  intense,  feverish  light,  and 
there  was  a  painful  quiver  in  the  voice. 

"  Father,  I  am  young  and  strong,  and  though  I  cannot 
supply  your  place,  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to  ease  the 
burden." 

"The  house  must  be  given  up?  " 

Philip  bowed  his  head. 

Mr.  Ashburton  glanced  at  his  wife.  Both  thought  of  the 
day  when  they  had  exchanged  their  city  home  for  this 
spot,  where  they  had  fondly  hoped  to  pass  their  declining 
years.  It  was  bitter,  indeed,  that  this  cup  of  conteot 
should  be  dashed  from  their  lips. 


88  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"God  help  us!"  he  groaned. 

"My  dear  husband,  we  still  have  each  other,"  his  wift 
said,  clasping  his  wasted  hand.  "  If  God  chooses  to  with- 
hold some  comforts  and  try  us  by  adversity,  shall  we  mur- 
mur after  having  had  so  many  pleasant  years  ?  " 

"You  are  right,  Margaret,"  he  returned,  feebly.  "But 
to  lie  here  helpless,  and  see  all  plunged  into  poverty  —  " 

ttlt  seems  to  me,"  began  Philip,  cheerfully,  "  that  one 
grand  feature  in  it  all  is  the  fact  of  our  sharing  it  together 
It  will  not  be  as  hard  as  you  think,  my  dear  father." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  gave  her  son  a  look  of  grateful  love. 
To  see  him  ready  and  willing  to  take  the  care  in  this 
manly  fashion  was  most  satisfying  to  her  troubled  and 
anxious  heart. 

"The  girls  will  bear  it  bravely,  too,"  he  said,  assuringly. 

"  Poor  Eleanor ! "  was  Mr.  Ashburton's  sighing  com- 
ment. 

"  Nelly  will  feel  it  the  most,  to  be  sure ; "  and  then 
Philip  remembered  for  a  moment  what  he  was  giving  up, 
perhaps  forever  —  who  could  tell? 

By  degrees  they  came  around  to  the  business  part 
again.  It  was  evident  that  Mr.  Ashburton's  mind  had 
been  considerably  shattered.  He  made  several  ineffectual 
efforts  to  recall  the  events  of  that  fatal  morning,  but  could 
seem  to  get  no  farther  than  the  declaration  that  there  had 
been  a  mistake. 

"If  I  could  see  Stanhope,"  he  said,  feebly. 

Presently  Mr.  Weir  made  his  appearance.  He  remarked 
considerable  amendment  in  Mr.  Ashburton,  and  explained 
very  clearly  how  matters  stood.  During  the  last  two 
months  there  had  been  some  heavy  losses,  and  the  busi- 
ness was  not  in  as  prosperous  a  condition  as  they  had  all 
thought.  Mr.  Stanhope  was  away,  but  Mr.  Weir  had  re- 
ceived instructions  to  act  for  him.  Some  of  the  creditors 
were  urgent,  and  it  was  considered  best  to  proceed  to  a 
settlement  as  soon  as  possible. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  80 

Mrs.  Waltham  remained  at  Home  Nook  foi  the  next 
fortnight.  Eleanor  was  her  constant  companion.  Madge 
and  Jessie  were  left  much  to  themselves,  and  unconsciously 
took  up  the  old  routine,  which  was  quite  easy  for  them,  aa 
they  were  still  in  school.  Philip  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  in  the  city,  and  when  at  home  was  unusually 
grave.  Indeed,  their  light-hearted  enjoyment  seemed  past 
forever. 

MI  believe  we  have  found  a  purchaser  for  Home  Nook," 
he  announced  to  the  girls  one  evening.  "  A  gentleman 
who  will  take  all  the  furniture  we  care  to  leave,  and  who 
may  offer  us  a  chance  to  buy  it  back  in  the  course  of  eight 
or  ten  years." 

"As  if  we  could!"  said  Eleanor,  despondingly.  "It 
will  be  worth  a  good  deal  more  then." 

"  And  Clement  may  come  home  a  rich  man.  Poor  fel 
low !  it  will  be  sorry  news  to  him.  Have  you  sent  letters 
since  papa's  illness  ?  " 

"One;  but  mamma  requested  nothing  should  be  said 
about  the  losses.  Who  is  to  buy  the  house  ?  " 

"The  offer  came  through  Mr.  Weir's  instrumentality. 
A  Mr.  Browning,  a  grave,  queer  sort  of  man,  who  has  had 
a  good  deal  of  trouble  —  so  we  are  not  alone.  His  father, 
an  old  man,  is  a  helpless  invalid  and  childish,  and  he  haa 
a  sister  incurably  insane  —  quite  harmless,  but  requiring 
constant  attention.  His  mother  and  his  wife  make  up  the 
family,  as  they  have  no  children.  He  wants  a  quiet  coun- 
try home  near  the  city,  a  place  that  will  be  pleasant  for  his 
wife.  He  took  a  great  fancy  to  the  name,  I  think,  and  is 
coming  up  to-morrow." 

"  And  where  are  we  to  go  ?  "  asked  Madge,  in  dismay. 

"  That  is  just  what  I  want  to  talk  about.  Mamma  saya 
that  it  will  make  no  difference  to  her,  only  she  doesn't 
wish  to  be  right  in  the  city.  I  fancy  that  it  would  prove 
more  convenient  to  me  to  be  up  town,  as  I  expect  to  turn 
into  a  business  man." 


40  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"  What  will  you  do,  Phil  ?  " 

"I  am  negotiating  for  a  situation.  Business  is  very  dull, 
and  at  my  age  I  cannot  expect  wonderful  things.  Six 
hundred  must  do  for  a  beginning.  Indeed,  I  shall  esteem 
myself  fortunate  to  get  that." 

"But  we  cannot  live  on  six  hundred!"  exclaimed  El- 
eanor, in  dismay. 

Madge  took  it  up  immediately.  "  We  must  have  a 
cosy  little  cottage,  and  only  one  servant,  as  they  do  in 
story-books." 

"  There  will  be  no  servant  on  that,"  was  Eleanor's  de- 
cisive rejoinder. 

"  Well,  Jessie  ought  to  know  how  poor  people  manage ; 
she  goes  among  them  so  much." 

"  It  is  often  hard  and  inconvenient,"  was  Jessie's  slow 
reply.  "  I  do  not  believe  that  poor  people  are  the  happiest 
or  are  less  free  from  care;  but  one  can  find  many  pleasant 
things  in  life." 

"  People  may  romance  about  poverty,  but  I  do  not  con- 
sider it  a  blessing  in  disguise,"  Eleanor  said  in  a  hard, 
haughty  tone.  "You  may  all  feel  willing  to  go  away  from 
this  place,  but  no  other  ever  can  be  home  to  me.  It  is  a 
bitter,  bitter  trial ! " 

"It  will  not  be  easy  for  any  of  us,  Nelly;"  and  Jessie's 
soft  eyes  filled  with  tears.  "  But  since  it  is  God's  will,  we 
must  strive  to  bear  it  with  patience  and  courage." 

"  One  can  resolve  to  endure  anything,  but  I  must  confess 
that  I  do  not  see  any  pleasure  in  hardships  and  depriva- 
tion." 

"  Only  as  we  find  it  in  cheerful  sacrifice,"  was  Jessie's 
timid  rejoinder. 

**  We  shall  all  have  many  pangs  to  suffer,"  Philip  said, 
in  a  low  yet  brave  tone.  "  The  actual  experience  is  al- 
ways so  different  from  what  one  imagines." 

Somehow  it  did  not  seem  so  very  terrible  to  Madge.  It 
was  true  that  she  had  a  vein  of  romance  in  her  nature. 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  41 

and  possessed  a  happy,  sanguine  temperament,  that  could 
not  long  linger  on  the  dark  side.  With  Jessie  it  had  be- 
come a  deeper  and  more  comprehensive  matter.  Already 
she  was  trying  to  bring  her  occasionally  rebellious  feelings 
to  the  higher  standard  of  Him  who  said,  "  Follow  me." 

"  We  have  strayed  from  our  first  subject,"  Philip  recom- 
menced. "If  you  girls  will  decide  upon  any  locality,  1 
will  get  a  list  of  the  houses  that  may  be  rented." 

Mr.  Browning  came  up  that  afternoon  with  his  wife. 
Eleanor  received  them  with  stately  coldness,  and  took 
them  through  the  house.  It  seemed  almost  a  profanity  to 
her  that  stranger  eyes  should  peer  into  their  sacred  little 
nooks,  and  discuss  the  many  things  so  dear  to  them  in  a 
practical  business  manner.  She  disliked  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Browning,  though  she  could  have  given  no  good  reason. 

"  Papa's  room,"  she  said,  pausing  at  a  door. 

"  Do  not  disturb  them,  please,"  Mrs.  Browning  entreated, 
in  a  sweet  tone,  for  she  was  aware  of  the  family  misfor- 
tunes. 

Philip  joined  them  in  their  walk  through  the  grounds. 
They  were  charmed  with  the  place  even  at  this  unpromis- 
ing season,  and  on  the  following  day  negotiations  were  to 
commence. 

"  It  will  hardly  be  possible  for  us  to  give  possession  be- 
fore the  first  of  May,"  Philip  said. 

"Very  well,"  was  the  rejoinder,  in  a  kindly  tone.  "Do 
not  distress  yourself.  It  will  be  a  severe  trial,  I  know." 

"What  a  fine  young  man!"  Mrs.  Browning  exclaimed, 
as  they  were  walking  down  the  street.  "Miss  Ashburton 
is  handsome,  but  very  haughty.  My  heart  never  warmed 
to  her  at  all.  She  seemed  to  look  upon  us  as  interlopers." 

"Do  not  judge  her  too  harshly.  A  reverse  of  fortune  is 
a  hard  thing  to  bear." 

"  Was  there  not  some  talk  of  the  Ashburtons  living  be- 
yond their  means  ?  " 

u  There  is  enough  to  be  said  when  a  man  is  unfortunate. 


42  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

The  son  seems  very  much  in  earnest  about  paying  every 
debt,  and  I  like  that." 

"They  have  been  living  in  a  very  handsome  style,  I 
should  judge.  But  I  am  charmed  with  the  house.  What 
a  lovely  place  it  must  be  in  summer !  " 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  it,"  her  husband  replied,  with  a 
smile.  "  Some  way,  I  am  deeply  interested  in  these  people." 

"If  the  other  girls  are  like  the  eldest  one,  I  am  afraid 
that  I  am  not,"  said  his  wife,  quietly.  "  I  was  prepared 
to  feel  much  sympathy  for  them." 

And  so  Eleanor  lost  when  she  might  have  attracted  a 
true  and  tender  friend. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  48 


CHAPTER   IV. 

CHANGES. 

THE  Brownings  decided  to  take  Home  Nook.  The 
agreement  was  made,  and  all  legal  matters  duly  settled. 
But  when  Mr.  Ashburton  came  to  sign  the  deed,  a  pang 
seemed  to  wrench  every  fibre  of  his  nature.  Why  had 
this  misfortune  fallen  upon  them  ?  he  asked,  in  feeble  pro- 
test. Other  men  were  successful  and  prosperous,  men  who 
had  been  less  scrupulous  in  their  dealings  than  he. 

Yet  there  was  one  bright  ray  in  the  darkness.  He  could 
stand  before  the  world  a  just  and  honest  man.  No  one 
should  say  that  he  had  wronged  him  in  the  slightest  par- 
ticular. It  was  a  comfort  to  know  that  all  liabilities  would 
be  covered. 

But  it  was  a  sad  night  for  them.  The  children  clustered 
about  the  sitting-room  hearth  in  silence,  for  they  were  too 
sorrowful  to  talk  to  each  other.  Eleanor  had  her  book 
open,  but  was  not  reading. 

There  was  a  gentle  turning  of  the  door,  and  a  light  step 
beside  them.  Mamma,  in  her  silvery-gray  dress,  with  a 
tiny  lace-frill  at  the  throat,  and  the  sweetest  of  all  faces. 
Madge  could  always  remember  the  picture  she  made,  the 
fire-light  giving  her  a  faint  glow,  for  the  March  nights  wei  e 
still  chilly. 

Philip  sprang  up,  but  Mrs.  Ashburtou  took  her  olden 
place  by  Madge.  The  bright  head  was  laid  in  her  lap, 
but  she  could  not  see  the  tears  that  flowed  quietly. 

"My  darlings,"  she  began  quite  calmly,  "as  papa  was 
asleep,  1  could  not  resist  the  impulse  to  join  you  and  make 
it  seem  once  more  like  old  times.  They  will  soon  be  gone, 
Are  you  all  discouraged  ?  " 


44  HOME    NOOK,  OB 

"O,  no,  mamma,  not  quite  that,"  replied  Jessie.  "But 
it's  very,  very  hard.  There  never  can  be  another  place 
like  this.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  feel  as  sorrowful  as  Eve 
when  she  went  out  of  Eden  —  only  this  is  not  any  special 
fault  in  us." 

"  No,  dear,  there  are  some  misfortunes  against  which  we 
cannot  guard.  And  since  papa  will  have  so  much  the 
worst  in  his  shattered  health,  it  is  our  duty  to  help  beat 
the  burden  and  take  up  the  new  life  cheerfully.  Madge, 
do  you  remember  our  last  talk  here  ?  " 

"I  shall  never  forget  it.  mamma."  The  child's  voice 
faltered,  and  she  had  much  ado  to  keep  back  the  sobs. 
"About  being  thankful  for  trouble;  but  O,  when  I  think 
it  all  over,  I  cannot  be  !  " 

"  We  do  not  see  the  end,  my  dear.  It  looks  very  dark 
now ; "  and  the  clear  voice  faltered,  as  if  it  was  an  effort 
to  keep  from  tears.  "But  the  Lord  God  has  promised  that 
it  shall  be  light  at  even  time." 

"  To  wait  all  one's  long  life ! "  and  now  the  sentence 
ended  with  a  pitiful  cry. 

"  There  are  many  things  besides  light.  Don't  you  re- 
member, my  darling,  about  the  songs  in  the  night?  It 
seems  to  me  a  type  of  the  sweet  thoughts  one  might  have 
in  even  the  darkest  surroundings.  And  the  cloud  by  day 
leading  the  Israelites  into  a  new  and  beautiful  country? 
Who  knows  whither  our  cloud  and  pillar  of  fire  may 
take  us  ?  " 

"  But  we  do  not  want  any  new  country.  Yet  you  are 
all  comfort,  mamma.  You  see  on  the  outside  of  things, 
and  a  long  way  off,  like  a  glint  of  rainbow  before  the 
shower  is  done." 

"We  must  remember  that  somewhere  God's  hand  is  in 
it,  and  take  it  not  complainingly,  but  with  meekness." 

She  gave  a  furtive  glance  at  Eleanor  as  she  uttered  this. 
The  handsome  face  was  haughty  and  impassible.  How 
many  hours  of  anxious  thought  her  mother  had  bestowed 


THE  CEOWN   OP  DUTY.  4£ 

apon  her,  Eleanor  could  hardly  guess.  As  if  with  a 
strange  foreknowledge,  she  understood  that  her  child's 
nature  must  surge  and  surge  against  the  stony  shores, 
bruised  and  beaten",  and  accept  peace  at  last  only  after  the 
severest  struggle.  For  with  Eleanor  the  deeper  phases  of 
spiritual  life  were  held  as  illusions  that  the  ignorant  en- 
joyed in  their  simplicity,  or  that,  with  fanatics,  took  the 
higher  forms  of  transcendentalism.  She  was  not  in  a  state 
to  be  ennobled  by  any  suffering. 

"  Philip  and  I  have  been  discussing  our  new  home," 
said  Jessie.  "It  will  be  small,  but  you  know  Gerald 
Massey  says,  '  We  all  can  bring  a  little  love  to  mend  the 
world!'" 

"True,  my  darling,  and  that  is  all  we  shall  have  to 
mend  our  broken  fortunes  —  love,  and  faith,  and  trust  in 
God." 

Jessie  clasped  her  arms  around  her  mother's  neck  and 
kissed  her  amid  tears.  A  half-strangled  sob  came  up  from 
Madge's  heart.  A  long,  long  silence  ensued,  for  no  one 
had  the  strength  or  courage  to  talk. 

A  bright,  breezy  morning,  with  a  fresh,  bracing  air,  fol- 
lowed this.  Philip  went  to  the  city  to  see  what  he  could 
find  in  the  way  of  houses,  and  Jessie  donned  her  cloak 
and  hat  for  a  tour  among  what  Madge  styled  her  poor 
folks. 

There  was  a  very  general  feeling  of  sympathy  for  the 
Ashburtons  with  the  people  at  Riverside.  They  had  al- 
ways been  kind  and  generous  to  the  poor,  and  while  this 
endeared  them  to  one  class,  their  graces  and  refinements 
made  them  equally  admired  by  the  other.  Mrs.  Ashburton 
had  received  many  true  and  tender  evidences  of  regard 
since  their  misfortunes. 

Eleanor  had  held  herself  coldly  aloof  since  the  trouble 
began.  Morbidly  sensitive,  she  had  chosen  not  to  run  the 
risk  of  being  either  slighted  or  pitied.  Jessie  had  shrunk 
from  the  spirit  of  sohool-girlish  curiosity  and  wonder;  but 


46  HOME  NOOK,  OR 

Madge,  finding  no  change  in  herself,  had  gone  on  in  hei 
usual  fashion. 

Walking  down  the  wide  street,  a  strange  feeling  rushed 
over  Jessie.  Not  exactly  a  sense  of  loneliness,  and  yet  a 
certain  dreary  misgiving.  Now  that  the  fortvne  was  ac- 
tually gone,  she  thought  of  the  many  pleasures  it  had 
brought,  hitherto  unremarked  ;  and  most  of  all  the  oppor- 
tunity of  making  others  happy.  Very  little  of  it  could 
come  in  the  new  sphere. 

From  this  broad  avenue  she  turned  into  a  side-street. 
A  few  modest  cottages  were  at  the  lower  end,  surrounded 
by  small  gardens.  At  one  of  these  Jessie  paused. 

A  neat,  fair-looking  woman  opened  the  door — an  odd 
little  thing  withal,  who  wore  short  side-curls  that  had  once 
been  flaxen,  but  were  now  silvery.  An  old-fashioned 
chintz  dress,  a  small  dove-colored  shawl,  pinned  tightly 
about  her  neck,  and  a  wide  gingham  apron,  completed  her 
costume. 

"O,  Miss  Jessie!"  she  ejaculated.  "It's  a  long  time 
since  we've  set  eyes  on  you,  child  !  Come  right  in.  I'm 
powerful  glad,  and  Rachel  will  be  delighted ! " 

The  parlor  —  for  on  this  floor  there  were  parlor,  kitchen, 
and  bedroom,  and  the  first  named,  with  a  southerly  front, 
lay  in  floods  of  sunshine.  Across  both  windows  was  a 
shelf  of  flowers  in  the  highest  state  of  perfection.  The 
furniture  was  quaint  enough.  Here  a  carved  cedar  secre- 
tary, now  used  for  household  linen  ;  opposite  an  Indian 
chest  of  drawers,  both  of  which  had  taken  a  long  sea 
voyage  before  reaching  their  present  home.  An  old  ma- 
hogany sofa,  studded  with  brass  nails ;  high-backed  chairs, 
elaborately  carved  and  polished  until  they  shone  like  glass. 
A  few  smoke-stained  pictures,  and  two  or  three  bright 
modern  ones — Jessie's  addition  to  the  household  adorn- 
ments. One  pretty  crayon,  done  by  her  hand,  bearing  the 
date  of  the  past  Christmas, 

In  a  rocker  by  the  window  sat  Mrs.  Rachel.    Everybody 


THE   CROWN  OF  DUTY.  47 

always  called  her  so  because  her  sister  did.  Her  husband 
had  been  lost  at  sea  many  a  long  year  before :  so  Mrs 
Rachel  Dormer  and  her  sister  Hetty  Bright  lived  alone. 
The  former  had  been  an  invalid  a  long  while,  and  was 
quite  crippled  —  the  result  of  a  bad  fall.  She  was  older 
than  Hetty,  and  a  little  larger  in  every  respect  —  not  so 
quaint-looking  or  energetic. 

Mrs.  Rachel  kissed  Jessie  tenderly.  Part  of  it  was  for 
the  misfortune. 

"  My  dear  child,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you ! " 

Hetty  bustled  up  with  a  chair,  and  almost  out  of  breath. 

"Sit  down,"  she  said,  "and  take  off  your  things.  Why, 
the  sight  of  you  is  good  for  weak  eyes !  How  is  your  papa 
and  the  rest  ?  " 

"  Papa  is  improving.  I  have  not  been  anywhere  of 
late;"  and  Jessie  came  to  a  sudden  pause.  "I  don't  know 
as  it  was  right  to  neglect  every  one,  but  some  how  home 
seemed  the  dearest  place." 

"  Yes,  I  told  Hetty  that  we  couldn't  expect  you  at  such 
a  time.  My  dear,  it  has  been  a  hard  blow.  If  we  did  no' 
know  that  we  were  in  the  hands  of  One  who  was  all  love 
and  wisdom,  it  would  be  blind  walking  for  us.  But  you 
have  learned  to  trust — " 

"  I  try  to  remember,"  said  Jessie,  tremulously. 

"Is  it  all  true,  Miss  Jessie?  Is  the  place  really  sold? 
Miss  Perkins  was  in  here  last  night,  and  said  you  were 
going  away.  And  then  I  couldn't  help  saying  to  Rachel, 
says  I,  'Now,  that's  what  I  call  hard  and  cruel!  I  don't 
believe  the  Lord  had  much  to  do  with  it.'  Are  you  sure 
your  father's  partner  was  an  honest  man  ?  " 

"Why,  I  suppose  so;"  and  Jessie  could  not  forbear 
smiling  at  the  energetic  little  body. 

"There  are  many  rogues  in  this  world,  Miss  Jessie  — 
wolves  in  sheep's  clothing.  To  think  that  Rachel  and  I 
should  put  most  of  our  little  fortin'  in  that  speculation  years 
ago,  and  be  misled  by  our  own  cousin,  too !  Why,  I'd  a 


48  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

trusted  him  with  every  dollar  that  I  had  in  the  world,  only 
I'm  glad  we  didn't.  But  we've  had  to  pinch  since.  To  be 
sure,  we  have  our  house,  as  Miss  Perkins  says;  but  if  you 
eat  and  drink  that,  it's  soon  gone !  " 

The  fortune  was  a  standing  grievance  to  Miss  Hetty,  a 
sort  of  gauge  with  which  she  always  compared  everything 
that  happened,  and  drew  some  parallel.  Nearly  ten  years 
before  they  had  been  induced  to  invest  it  in  some  lands 
said  to  be  rich  in  copper  ore ;  but  the  mining  company 
failed,  and  the  plausible  cousin  wen *,  to  South  America: 
so  they  still  held  title-deeds  to  acres  and  acres  of  unsalable 
imid. 

"  We  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  Mr.  Stanhope  would 
take  the  advantage  of  papa,"  Jessie  replied,  quite  firmly. 

"But  you  never  know  what  people  will  do  until  they  are 
tried.  Didn't  we  have  the  utmost  faith  in  cousin  Bright?  " 

Hetty  looked  up  in  triumph,  as  if  that  was  an  unanswer- 
able argument. 

"  But  Miss  Jessie  is  right.  It's  not  fair  to  surmise  when 
one  has  no  proof.  He  lost  as  much  as  your  papa  —  did  he 
not?" 

"He  gave  up  his  house,"  Jessie  answered,  in  a  little 
embarrassment.  "  They  have  had  a  great  many  losses  this 
winter." 

"  And  at  the  back  of  all,  somebody  is  dishonest,  or  lives 
beyond  his  means.  My  dear,  most  of  the  trouble  in  this 
world  does  come  from  dishonesty.  Now,  if  your  papa 
had  been  paid  what  was  owing  to  him,  you  see  he  could 
have  met  his  debts  without  any  sacrifice." 

Miss  Hetty  was  quite  logical,  and  always  cleared  up  her 
points  as  she  went  along. 

"  You  are  really  going  away  ?  " 

Mrs.  Rachel  asked  this  in  the  softest  of  tones,  and  her 
eyes  expressed  a  fervent  sympathy. 

"  Yes."  Jessie's  lip  quivered.  "Philip  is  to  take  a  situa- 
tion in  New  York,  and  it  is  best  that  we  should  live  nearer." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  49 

UO,  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  your  leaving  Riverside!" 
and  Miss  Hetty  burst  into  tears.  "  We  shall  miss  you  so 
much !  I  tell  Rachel  that  she 's  always  better  after  you 
have  been  here." 

"  And  I  am  always  better,  too.  Dear  Mrs.  Rachel,  how 
many  times  in  the  last  few  weeks  I  have  thought  of  your 
good  counsel,  your  patience,  and  — " 

Something  else  that  could  not  be  put  in  words.  Mrs. 
Rachel  clasped  the  little  hand. 

"  It  may  be  a  hard  way  for  you,  my  child,  but  you  know 
in  whom  to  trust.  Maybe,  if  you  should  live  to.be  an  old 
woman,  you  will  see  with  clearer  eyes,  and  perhaps  under- 
stand that  it  was  good  to  bear  the  burden  in  your  youth. 
Now  you  must  tell  me  about  your  mamma  and  Madge." 

They  had  a  delightful  talk,  broken  now  and  then  by 
Miss  Hetty's  odd  sentences,  which  seemed  to  bounce  down 
and  up  like  an  India-rubber  ball.  Jessie  grew  quite  light- 
hearted  and  hopeful. 

They  both  made  her  promise  to  come  to  tea  before  she 
went  away  from  Riverside. 

"Though  I  can't  help  believing  that  some  day  you'll 
come  back  to  Home  Nook,"  said  Hetty,  smiling  amid 
her  tears.  It  seems  just  like  a  dream  to  me." 

Jessie  gave  a  lingering  look  at  the  house.  How  many 
pleasant  hours  she  had  enjoyed  with  these  two  women ! 
and  to  part  with  old  friends  appeared  harder  than  giving 
up  their  beautiful  house. 

She  walked  on  slowly  to  her  next  place  —  a  small  tene- 
ment-house, with  a  family  on  each  side  ofthe  hall,  the  whole 
building  pervaded  with  a  sort  of  shabby,  discouraged  air. 
Obeying  the  summons  to  enter,  she  was  greeted  by  a  thin, 
faded-looking  woman,  who  was  vainly  trying  to  make  two 
troublesome  children  neat  and  orderly;  but  what  with 
their  putting  dirty  hands  upon  clean  faces,  and  giving  their 
heads  a  swift  whirl,  as  soon  as  their  hair  had  been  brushed 
straight,  the  work  did  not  progress  very  rapidly. 
4 


50  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  O,  Miss  Jessie  ! "  and  though  the  smile  was  almost  ai 
faded  and  wan  as  herself,  there  was  a  strand  of  tender 
grace  in  it.  "  Excuse  my  wet  hands,  and  —  "  She  finished 
with  a  kind  of  deprecating  glance  around  the  room. 

"Don't  disturb  yourself,"  returned  Jessie,  cheerfully. 
M  How  are  you  all  ?  " 

"  Is  that  Jessie  Ashburton  ?  "  inquired  a  querulous  voice 
from  the  adjoining  bedroom.  "Well,  I  began  to  think 
you  was  too  proud  to  go  out  any  more.  But  everybody's 
got  to  learn  that  they  can't  be  carried  to  the  skies  on 
flowery  beds  of  ease  !  " 

"  O,  mother  1 "  entreated  the  mild  and  still  deprecating 
v'oice.  This  mother-in-law  had  been  the  bane  of  weak  Mrs. 
Deane's  life. 

"Yes  —  why  not?  Rich  folks  always  have  to  comedown. 
Don't  the  Bible  say  it'll  be  hard  for  a  rich  man  to  enter 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  ?  And  so  I  thank  the  Lord  that 
I'm  not  rich." 

"  But  Miss  Jessie's  folks  were  always  so  good,  mother,  I 
don't  believe  that's  the  reason,"  —  the  emphasis  meaning 
riches,  —  "for  there's  many  a  poor  person  who  doesn't  seem 
fit  for  heaven." 

After  her  protest  Mrs.  Deane  looked  more  faded  and 
frightened  than  ever. 

"  If  you  mean  me,"  —  and  Mrs.  Deane  senior  thought  that 
her  daughter-in-law  did  mean  her  by  every  remark  she 
made,  —  "if  you  mean  me,  I  can  tell  you  that  after  you've 
gone  through  with  all  the  trials  I've  had,  .you'll  think  a 
deal  more  of  heaven  than  you  do  now ! "  and  the  old 
woman's  voice  rose  shrill  and  high.  "  Few  people  have 
gone  through  with  as  much  trouble  one  way  and  another. 
Loss  of  money's  nothing  to  it !  " 

"  No,  there  are  worse  things,"  said  Jessie,  gently,  fcr  she 
knew  by  experience  that  old  Mrs.  Deane  loved  to  think 
her  case  harder  than  that  of  any  other  human  being. 

"Money  is  a  great  snare,  a  great  snare  1     Them  that 


THE    CROWN  OF  DUTY.  61 

haven't  any  may  be  thankful,  though  it's  a  hard  thing  to  be 
dependent.  If  I  was  young  I  wouldn't  mind  poverty ; "  and 
a  deep  sigh  finished  the  sentence. 

"  How  is  the  baby  ?  "  asked  Jessie,  anxious  to  escape 
these  tirades. 

UO,  he  is  well;"  and  Mrs.  Deane  took  her  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  room,  turning  down  the  corner  of  the 
crib-quilt.  He  had  been  washed  until  he  shone,  and 
though  his  baby-slip  was  calico,  it  was  clean  and  pretty 
But  his  mother  had  another  motive  besides  pride  in  her 
baby. 

"  O,  Miss  Jessie !"  and  the  tears  rose  to  her  eyes ;  "I'm 
so  sorry  for  your  misfortune !  It  is  hard  to  be  poor  and 
to  give  up  all  your  comforts.  I've  thought  of  it  night  and 
day.  You  have  always  been  so  good  to  me,  and  it's  such  a 
pleasure  to  see  your  sweet  face.  Are  you  really  going 
away  ?  " 

"Yes;  the  place  has  been  sold." 

Jessie  tried  very  hard  to  keep  her  voice  steady. 

"  It's  a  shame  !  I  don't  understand  why  God  lets  such 
things  happen  to  people  who  have  always  been  good  and 
kind.  Your  mother,  I  am  sure,  is  one  of  the  sweetest 
women  in  the  world.  I  used  to  enjoy  going  to  sew  at  her 
house  before  I  was  married  ;  and  though  Tom  isn't  a  hard 
man  to  get  along  with,  I  sometimes  half  wish  that  I'd  let 
him  alone.  But  my  trouble  is  nothing  to  yours ;  only  what 
shall  I  ever  do  without  you?" 

"  You  will  find  some  new  friends,  I  hope ; "  and  Jessie's 
voice  had  a  quiver  in  it.  "  Mamma  sent  a  message  to  you. 
We  are  going  to  sell  some  of  our  most  expensive  furniture, 
but  there  are  several  old  articles  that  we  shall  not  want  to 
take  —  some  partly-worn  clothes,  and  the  like.  If  you 
could  send  Mr.  Deane  over  for  them,  you  would  be  quite 
welcome." 

"  O,  Miss  Jessie  1  you  and  yours  are  always  thinking  what 
you  can  do  for  others.  If  ever  any  one  made  good  use  of 


52  HOME    NOOK,    OB 

money,  it  is  your  mamma.  And  now  that  you  should  be 
poor  —  " 

"  We  try  to  think  that  it  is  all  best  and  right,  and  that 
God  has  some  wise  purpose  in  it  all.  We  must  learn  to 
do  our  duty  in  any  state  of  life ; "  and  Jessie  gave  a  sweet 
yet  sorrowful  smile. 

"  When  I  hear  you  or  your  mamma  talk,  Miss  Jessie,  I 
believe  there  is  some  heart  in  religion ;  but  she"  —  nodding 
to  the  bedroom —  "takes  it  all  out  of  me." 

The  words  had  been  uttered  hardly  above  a  breath,  but 
Mrs.  Deane  started  guiltily  at  the  interruption. 

"  Betsey,  is  Jessie  Ashburton's  call  aJl  to  you  ?  If  it 
isn't,  I'd  like  to  see  her!" 

Old  Mrs.  Deane  always  ignored  the  polite  usages  of 
society,  as  mere  forms,  pampering  pride  and  vanity.  Once, 
when  her  daughter-in-law  had  ventured  to  suggest  that 
"  Miss  Jessie "  sounded  more  respectful,  the  old  lady  re- 
plied, angrily,  — 

"If  anybody's  Christian  name  ain't  good  enough  for 'em, 
things  have  come  to  a  pretty  pass !  Why,  in  Bible  times 
they  didn't  have  any  other.  Just  look  if  you  can  find  a 
place  where  any  one  is  called  Mr.  Paul  or  Miss  Dorcas ! 
It's  nothing  but  worldliness  and  wanting  to  be  honored. 
I  shan't  call  anybody  Lord  in  this  world ! " 

So  meek  Mrs.  Deane  never  made  another  protest. 

As  a  young  girl  she  had  always  been  called  Bessy 
Lawton  —  a  rather  pretty  and  interesting  person,  who  had 
been  a  great  favorite  with  Mrs.  Ashburton ;  and  when,  six 
years  before,  she  had  married  Tom  Deane,  every  one  con- 
sidered it  a  good  match.  A  year  or  so  afterwards,  his  sister 
had  died;  so  Tom  took  his  mother  to  live  with  him. 
There  was  an  end  to  the  young  wife's  comfort.  Mrs. 
Deane  considered  herself  a  martyr.  No  one  had  ever 
worked  so  hard,  or  made  so  many  sacrifices,  or  borne  trials 
so  patiently.  Hers  had  been  no  harder  than  the  common 
lot,  but  she  had  a  way  of  magnifying  the  slightest  events. 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  53 

She  seemed  to  take  particular  delight  in  thwarting  her 
daughter-in-law.  One  of  those  selfish,  complaining,  irrita- 
ble, and  unreasonable  women  who  make  old  age  unlovely, 
and  are  a  torment  to  a  household. 

She  insisted  upon  calling  her  Betsey,  and  nearly  worried 
ihe  poor  wife  into  a  shadow.  Tom  could  get  rid  of  his 
mother's  ill-temper  by  going  out  to  have  a  smoke,  but  there 
was  no  such  relief  for  Bessy. 

Now  she  gave  Jessie's  hand  a  fond  squeeze,  wiped  her 
eyes  with  her  apron,  and  said  in  her  usual  tone,  which 
always  seemed  to  beg  her  listeners  not  to  find  fault,  — 

"  We  were  looking  at  baby." 

"  You'd  better  look  to  the  others  —  they're  both  out  of 
doors,  and  it's  cold  as  any  winter's  day.  Dear!  if  it  wasn't 
for  me  —  sick  and  worn  out  as  I  am  —  things  would  come 
to  a  pretty  pass  in  this  house !  It's  a  hard  matter  to  have 
the  care  of  your  grandchildren  after  you  have  brought  up 
your  own  family ! " 

Bessy  went  to  find  the  little  truants.  Old  Mrs.  Deane 
deigned  to  ask  after  Mr.  Ashburton,  and  predicted  that  he 
would  never  get  well ;  people  at  his  time  of  life  rarely  did ; 
and  it  wasn't  likely  that  he  would  ever  have  his  mind  clear 
again.  She  was  sure  some  one  had  told  her  that  Mr.  Ash- 
burton  was  completely  childish.  And  she'd  heard  that 
Philip  had  given  up  college  —  a  good  thing,  in  her  opinion. 
Half  the  young  men  nowadays  were  ruined  by  going  to 
college.  Did  Eleanor  mean  to  teach  school  ?  —  it  was  time 
she  put  her  education  to  some  use.  She'd  heard  tending 
store  was  a  good  business,  but  it  made  girls  forward  and 
of  so  much  consequence.  "And  you're  old  enough  to  go 
to  a  trade.  I  should  advise  dress-making,  you're  so  handy 
at  cutting  out  clothes." 

Jessie  was  much  annoyed,  but  she  was  too  well-bred  to 
resent  it  from  a  person  so  much  older  than  herself.  Mrs. 
Deane  really  enjoyed  other  people's  misfortunes.  She 
would  gladly  have  enlarged  upon  the  topic;  but  Jessie 


54  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

asked  after  her  ailments, — an  equally  fruitful  theme, — and 
tried  to  get  away  as  soon  as  she  could  do  so  gracefully. 

Bessie  followed  her  to  the  gate.  There  was  something 
touching  and  delicate  in  the  woman's  sympathy,  albeit  she 
was  a  person  of  no  special  refinement. 

"  O,  Miss  Jessie !  you  have  been  such  a  comfort !  The 
Lord  bless  you  wherever  you  go,  and  send  you  back  again 
to  Home  Nook  —  I  shall  pray  daily  for  that!  " 

Jessie  could  not  help  contrasting  old  Mrs  Deane  and 
Mrs.  Rachel,  as  she  had  more  than  once.  Both  professed  to 
be  animated  and  controlled  by  the  same  love,  but  how 
different  were  its  fruits !  In  the  one,  meekness,  loving:  kind- 

'  *  O 

ness,  and  the  highest  kind  of  charity,  dealing  generously 
with  fellow-creatures  in  thought,  word,  and  deed.  Was 
not  true  religion  the  same  everywhere  ? 

She  made  the  rest  of  her  calls,  and  though  pain  was 
largely  mingled  with  pleasure,  now  and  then  a  word  of 
sympathy,  a  look  or  a  tone,  went  to  her  heart.  Soon  she 
would  cease  to  be  one  of  this  pleasant  community.  Would 
she  be  forgotten  ? 

As  she  was  nearing  home  a  carriage  passed,  containing 
two  occupants.  She  knew  the  elegant  gray  ponies  so  well 
that  she  glanced  up  with  an  eager  smile. 

The  elder  lady  bowed  very  coldly,  and  the  fair  young 
girl  gave  a  languid  nod.  The  warm  blood  rushed  to 
Jessie's  face,  and  every  nerve  quivered. 

Mrs.  Westlake  had  always  made  a  great  deal  of  Jessie 
and  Madge,  and  May,  her  niece,  had  been  on  terms  of 
intimate  friendship  with  them.  To  be  passed  now  in  this 
indifferent  manner  gave  her  a  keen  pang. 

Mrs.  Westlake  was  secretly  consoling  herself  that  her 
son,  whom  she  had  half  suspected  of  a  penchant  for  Jessie, 
was  away  at  this  period.  He  was  full  of  boyish  impulsive- 
ness, and  there  was  no  knowing  what  he  might  be  tempted 
to  do. 

w  You  look  tired,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  said,  as  Jessie  entered 
the  room — the  brightness  and  animation  faded  from  her  face. 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DTJTr.  55 

"It  is  so  good  to  have  you  mamm..* '. "  and  Jessie  leaned 
against  the  fond  bosom.  "Poverty  cannot  destroy  all  our 
love  and  happiness." 

"Where  have  you  been?"  her  mother  asked  gently. 

So  Jessie  began.  Hetty  Bright's  little  nest  of  a  cottagu 
was  gone  over,  and  the  call  at  Mrs.  Deane's. 

"  O,  mamma !  I  hope  I  never  shall  have  such  an  unhappy 
disposition.  How  one  pities  poor  Bessie  Deane !  There's 
nothing  in  our  lives  as  hard  as  that.  But  —  " 

"  Well,  Jessie !  "  For  the  soft  eyes  had  roved  off  into 
the  sunshine,  and  the  little  brain  was  in  a  brown  study. 

"  Mamma,  why  do  you  suppose  that  religion  makes  one 
person  happy,  and  seems  to  fail  in  the  case  of  another  ? " 

"  The  one  person  makes  it  a  living,  vital  truth,  and  the 
other  does  not.  I  should  be  sorry  to  judge  Mrs.  Deane 
harshly,  but  if  she  does  not  render  herself  miserable,  she 
certainly  must  those  around  her." 

"  She  did  not  seem  a  bit  sorry  that  we  had  lost  our  for- 
tune, though  she  will  miss  some  of  its  benefits." 

"  We  must  learn  a  lesson,  my  little  girl,  and  not  fall  into 
the  habit  of  aggravating  our  troubles,  and  thinking  our  lot 
the  hardest.  There  are  many  rough  paths  in  this  world, 
but  we  will  remember  who  has  said,  'My  grace  shall  be 
sufficient  for  thee.' " 

Jessie  did  not  mention  her  meeting  with  Mrs.  Westlake. 
It  was  the  first  time  that  she  had  received  any  direct  re- 
buff, and  from  this  source  it  came  with  double  keenness. 
And  yet  she  was  glad  that  it  had  not  been  Eleanor. 

She  understood  the  changes  now  as  she  never  had  before. 
She  began  to  realize  that  they  must  fill  an  entirely  different 
sphere.  It  was  the  greater  trial  because  she  was  conscious 
of  no  alteration  in  herself.  The  virtues,  graces,  and  refine- 
ments of  the  old  life  would  be  carried  into  the  new ;  and 
yet  who  would  seek  them  for  their  absolute  worth  ?  But 
Were  such  summer  friends  worthy  of  regard  and  regret? 

In  this  hour  Jessie  Ashburton  drew  still  nearer  to  Gad 


56  HOME  NOOK,   OB 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  "STEW  HOUSE. 

THE  quiet  tide  of  life  was  broken  with  the  Ashburtons. 
Eleanor  went  to  the  city  several  times  with  Philip  to  look 
at  houses,  but  always  returned  dispirited  and  moody. 

At  length,  in  despair,  he  said  one  night,  — 

"  Madge,  will  you  and  Jessie  go  down  with  me  to-mor- 
row? I  have  been  offered  a  house  at  quite  a  bargain.  El- 
eanor looked  at  it  once  and  thought  it  would  not  do,  but 
I  find  that  we  cannot  have  much  choice  for  the  rent  we 
will  be  able  to  pay." 

Madge  was  quite  elated ;  Jessie,  in  her  more  quiet  fash- 
ion, was  equally  pleased  with  this  mark  of  Philip's  con- 
fidence. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  Nelly  takes  matters  so  hard,"  Philip 
said,  anxiously.  "You  two  will  have  to  assume  the  lead, 
with  mamma's  counsel.  And  I  think  we  can  have  quite  a 
pretty  little  nest  of  a  home  without  being  very  extrava- 
gant ;  for  now,  my  small  women,  we  are  poor." 

"  Jessie  spends  half  her  time  in  the  kitchen,  learning  to 
cook,"  exclaimed  Madge,  by  way  of  encouragement. 

u  Bravo !  "  said  Philip,  laughingly.  "  The  house  is  some- 
thing of  a  journey  up  town,  but  you  can  see  the  river  ficm 
it,  and  we  shall  have  quite  a  garden." 

"  That  will  suit  mamma  admirably." 

"Eleanor  inclines  to  Brooklyn  or  Williamsburg,  but  the 
extra  expense  will  more  than  make  the  difference  in  rent. 
This  neighborhood  is  quiet  and  respectable,  though  the 
house  is  old-fashioned." 

tt  It  will  be  the  more  cosy,  then." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  57 

u  Madge,  I  am  glad  and  thankful  that  you  can  always 
find  a  stray  gleam  of  sunshine." 

She  smiled  brightly  at  his  commendation. 

They  started  off  in  good  spirits  the  next  morning.  The 
house  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  town  —  a  long  block, 
with  some  rather  pretentious  buildings  at  one  end,  a  num- 
ber of  vacant  lots  between,  and  near  the  river  this  cluster 
of  cottages,  old-fashioned  indeed. 

"The  very  last  one,"  said  Philip. 

Beyond  rose  a  ledge  of  rock,  but  between  that  and  the 
opposite  shore  of  Long  Island  the  river  gleamed  and 
sparkled  in  the  spring  sunshine.  The  house  stood  de- 
tached, as  did  all  in  this  row,  and,  what  was  quite  unusual 
in  the  way  of  adornment,  a  wisteria  had  climbed  to  the 
roof,  and  a  month  or  two  later  would  be  trailing  long 
sprays  of  green  and  lilac  about  the  windows. 

"Why,  it  is  pretty,"  declared  Madge.  "And  I  like 
the  wildness  of  the  place  about  here.  I  couldn't  get  my 
breath  in  those  houses;"  and  she  nodded  towards  the 
brick  row. 

w  They  are  to  be  let  in  tenements,  a  floor  to  a  family. 
We  looked  at  one.  They  are  finished  in  a  very  pretty, 
modern  fashion." 

"  But  to  be  crowded  in  with  other  people ! " 

"  No,  we  couldn't  take  that  quite  yet,"  said  Philip,  with 
rather  a  proud  gesture. 

They  had  a  gay  time  exploring  the  interior.  On  the 
lower  floor  were  two  very  fair-sized  rooms,  and  back  of  the 
hall  a  large  kitchen,  with  a  basement  wash-room  quite  con- 
venient. Above  there  were  three  sleeping  apartments,  and 
one  small  one,  with  a  garret  over  the  whole. 

"  Why,  I  think  we  could  do  very  well,"  said  Madge, 
"only  I'd  like  to  have  that  horrid  blue  and  buff  paper 
taken  off  the  parlor.  I  suppose  that  frightened  Nelly. 
And  if  it  could  be  painted  up  a  little  —  O,  do  look  at 
these  funny  brass  knobs !  Why,  they  are  so  small  that  on« 


68  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

can  hardly  take  hold  of  them !  And  the  mantels  are  so 
very  high  and  quaint!  O, it  isn't  Home  Nook!"  and  th« 
brightness  died  out  of  her  voice. 

"  No,"  Philip  returned,  gravely. 

"  But  the  garden  will  be  nice ; "  and  Jessie  took  a  glimpse 
out  of  the  window.  "  There  is  a  long  grape  arbor,  and  trees 
and  rose-bushes." 

"Thank  you,  Jessie,  for  seeing  so  much.  It  is  quite  the 
best  thing  for  the  rent  that  I  have  found,  and  I  must  give 
an  answer  to-morrow.  I  think  we  will  have  the  paper 
changed,  and  the  knobs.  I  could  paint  it  myself." 

They  went  over  it  again,  arranging  it  for  use.  They 
would  have  one  parlor,  and  a  library  or  sitting-room.  In 
the  summer,  they  could  cook  down  stairs,  and  use  their 
kitchen  exclusively  for  a  dining-room.  Mamma  could  have 
one  of  the  second-floor  apartments,  Nelly  one,  which  would 
be  a  sort  of  guest  chamber,  also  —  "if  they  ever  had  any 
company,"  appended  Madge. 

"And  I'll  take  the  small  one,"  said  Philip. 

"If  we  have  a  servant,  we  must  put  her  in  the  garret." 

**  I  think  we  had  better  learn  to  do  without,"  was  Jessie's 
quiet  rejoinder. 

They  explored  nooks,  and  corners,  and  closets,  and  found 
them  really  capacious.  Jessie  looked  at  all  with  the  eye 
of  a  housekeeper,  for  somehow  she  felt  that  Eleanor  was 
not  just  the  one  to  go  into  kitchen  details. 

"Now  we  will  run  around  in  the  next  street,  and  take  a 
flying  view  of  a  house  for  four  hundred." 

"And  this  — ?" 

"  I  can  have  for  three  hundred  dollars,  by  paying  six 
months'  rent  in  advance." 

"Four  hundred  would  be  two  thirds  of  your  salary, 
Philip." 

"  Yes.  Clement  will  help  us  out  a  little  ;  but  it  seemi 
right  to  begin  with  the  utmost  economy.  If  we  are  pros- 
pered, we  can  make  a  change." 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  59 

"  Yes,"  said  Jessie,  with  quiet  decision. 

She  remarked  that  Philip  never  spoke  of  their  father 
being  able  to  do  anything  again.  What  if  Mrs.  Deane's 
unkind  surmise  should  prove  correct? 

The  house  was  larger  and  a  trifle  more  modern,  besides 
having  two  bedrooms  in  the  attic,  but  they  thought  they 
could  have  as  many  comforts  in  the  small  one. 

*'  Now,  I  want  you  to  see  a  suit  of  rooms  in  a  tenement 
house  that  can  be  had  for  four  hundred." 

"  I  should  not  like  it,"  said  Jessie,  promptly. 

"  They  are  very  nice,  and  quite  to  one's  self." 

A  second  floor,  containing  parlor,  kitchen,  three  bed- 
rooms, a  large  clothes-press,  and  a  bath-room.  There  were 
corniced  ceilings,  one  marble  mantel,  doors  grained  in  oak, 
and  the  whole  had  a  very  pretty,  stylish  air;  but  the  sleep- 
ing-rooms were  all  small,  and  the  yard  was  merely  a  square 
of  grass,  with  clothes-line  posts  at  the  corners,  and  a  flagged 
walk  around. 

"It's  pretty,"  said  Madge,  "but  I  believe  I  like  the 
other  best  for  us." 

"  I  am  sure  that  I  do,"  was  Jessie's  rejoinder. 

"  Philip,  how  do  real  poor  people  manage  to  live  in  a 
city?" 

"  In  a  year's  time  you  will  be  able  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion," he  replied,  with  a  half-sad,  half-playful  smile. 

"  But,  after  all,  we  have  some  resources  that  very  poor 
people  cannot  fall  back  upon." 

And  yet  Jessie  sighed.  She  was  coming  face  to  face 
with  poverty  very  rapidly. 

So  they  returned  home,  and  talked  the  matter  over  with 
mamma.  She  approved  of  their  decision,  and  the  house 
was  taken  at  once. 

Eleanor  listened  in  silence,  esteeming  her  acquiescence 
a  great  sacrifice.  Philip  travelled  to  and  fro,  busy,  ener 
getic,  and  cheerful.  Mr.  Ashburton  began  to  walk  round 
his  room,  and  business  matters  progressed  towards  a  set- 


60  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

tlement.  Friends  flocked  in  to  comfort  and  assist,  and 
some,  perhaps  from  curiosity,  to  see  how  the  Ashburtons 
bore  their  misfortune  ;  for  there  seemed  to  be  a  strand  of 
this  underlying  much  of  human  nature,  and  though  very 
few  actually  rejoiced  over  their  downfall,  more  than  one 
felt  that  it  was  not  an  altogether  unsatisfactory  turn  in  the 
wheel  of  fortune,  where  so  much  seems  like  chance. 

Mr.  Kenneth,  their  clergyman,  was  one  of  their  firmest 
and  most  comforting  friends.  His  mother,  a  very  estima- 
ble widow  lady,  who  was  not  likely  to  change  her  home, 
offered  them  room  for  pictures,  or  any  choice  articles  they 
did  not  care  to  dispose  of,  as  their  new  abode  would  be 
rather  limited. 

Philip  took  the  girls  down  again  to  see  how  much  it  had 
improved.  The  obnoxious  paper  had  been  replaced  by  one 
chaste  and  neutral-tinted,  the  mantels,  that  had  been  a  sort 
of  dismal  lead-colored  imitation  of  marble,  were  black,  and 
the  paint  fresh  and  really  pretty. 

"I  did  that  myself!"  announced  Philip,  with  a  touch  of 
triumph.  "  And  now  look  at  our  dining-room !  " 

Instead  of  the  smoky  wall,  it  was  a  soft  grayish-pearl 
color. 

"  Phil,  you  are  a  jewel ! "  exclaimed  Madge.  "  Why,  we 
shall  be  a  sort  of  Swiss  Family  Robinson  —  only  we  shall 
not  live  on  an  island." 

"Now,  we  will  bring  the  furniture  down  and  arrange  it. 
I  haven't  but  about  ten  days'  grace,  and  then  I  must  take 
my  place  in  the  ranks." 

But  when  they  began  to  dismantle  their  beloved  home, 
a  sharp  pang  of  anguish  seized  them  all ;  for  every  corner 
and  every  article  was  associated  with  some  tender  remem- 
brance. Jessie's  tears  fell  silently,  but  now  and  then 
Madge  broke  down. 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  she  would  say,  with  a  sob.  "  It's  so 
hard,  after  all !  and  now  I  begin  to  feel  afraid  that  we  shall 
never  come  back." 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  61 

Philip,  gaining  daily  experience,  thought  it  quite  prob- 
lematical also.  Fortunes  were  not  so  easily  won.  His 
own  dreams  he  thrust  into  the  background,  and  not  even 
his  mother  guessed  the  pain  he  hid  beneath  the  smiling 
face. 

Was  it  wrong  to  pray  for  prosperity  and  happiness,  and 
work  faithfully  for  them  ?  It  did  not  seem  an  ignoble  aim 
when  hallowed  by  love  and  self-sacrifice.  "For  their 
sake,"  he  said  to  himself,  when  the  way  looked  long  and 
dreary. 

Eleanor  assisted  with  a  grave  face  and  pre-occupied 
manner.  It  would  have  been  a  comfort  now  to  hear  her 
chide  Madge's  follies ;  but  she  preserved  a  silence  that, 
while  it  had  nothing  actually  sullen  or  cross  in  it,  was  still 
uncomfortable.  Even  her  mother  was  shut  out  of  her  con- 
fidence. 

The  young  girl  was  fighting  a  hard  battle  in  her  own 
strength.  Nothing  could  soften  this  misfortune  with  her. 
Every  day  she  felt  her  nameless  little  wants  and  longings, 
her  artistic  perceptions,  her  refinements,  and  subtile  har- 
monies rushing  over  her,  and  flooding  her  very  soul. 
Then  the  contact  with  coarse  materialisms  —  for  so  she 
would  call  them  —  stung  her  into  keenest  misery.  Jessie's 
quiet  persistence  and  Madge's  energy  roused  a  bitter  feel- 
ing. They  did  not  suffer  as  she.  They  were  not  giving 
up  their  very  life,  wrenching  their  souls  out  of  the  true 
orbit. 

With  the  exception  of  the  piano  and  two  or  three  pic- 
tures, the  parlor  was  to  remain  untouched.  Their  sitting- 
room  and  library  furniture  was  transferred  to  the  new 
house,  and  when  the  two  rooms  were  put  in  order,  Philip 
declared  them  charming.  Their  dining-room  needed  much 
more  simplicity,  and  some  of  their  chamber  furniture  was 
quite  too  elegant  for  their  new  station. 

As  they  drew  near  the  end,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashburton 
went  to  spend  a  few  days  with  Mrs.  Kenneth.  Madg« 


62  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

and  Jessie  worked  unweariedly,  and  Eleanor,  too,  did  good 
service. 

"  Poor  Nelly ! "  Madge  said,  pityingly,  in  her  absence. 
"  Aunt  Waltham  was  right — it  is  harder  for  her.  She 
doesn't  seem  meant  for  poverty  and  toil.  I  wish  something 
nice  could  happen  to  her;"  and  the  generous  child  racked 
her  brains,  wondering  what  would  be  "  nice." 

"  And  it  is  mean  that  a  little  money  should  make  such 
difference.  She  is  as  good  and  handsome  as  she  was  be- 
fore, and  it  seems  to  me  that  she  ought  to  be  loved  the 
better  for  her  misfortunes.  And  yet  see  that  young  Max- 
well—  you  know  we  always  thought  he  looked  like  a 
hero,  and  I'm  sure  that  he  was  quite  devoted  to  Nelly 
—  and  on  Sunday  he  and  his  sister  swept  by  in  state,  giv- 
ing her  the  merest  little  nod — but,  O,  didn't  she  look 
like  a  queen !  And  Mrs.  Westlake  and  May  Rossiter  — 
who  would  have  thought  of  their  being  so  ungenerous?*' 

"  Isn't  that  rather  severe,  Madge  ?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  frank  and  ready  rejoinder.  "If  May  had 
lost  her  fortune,  and  we  were  riding  round  in  our  carriage, 
do  you  suppose  we  should  pass  her  with  a  disdainful  little 
sniff?  O,  Jessie  1  why  isn't  the  world  better  and  kinder? 
It  is  in  trial  and  adversity  that  one  most  needs  love  and 
tenderness." 

"Yes,"  Jessie  faltered,  "but  we  cannot  have  everything 
just  as  we  would  like." 

"And  yet  I  don't  see  why  these  grand,  heroic  things 
cannot  beautify  common  life.  See  what  Phil  has  given 
up ;  yet  no  one  praises  him,  or  seems  to  think  it  at  all  be- 
yond the  merest  duty." 

"  He  is  not  doing  it  to  be  seen  of  men." 

"  But  I  would  like  some  one  to  see  it,  all  the  same. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  noble  and  unselfish 
deeds ;  but  are  they  really  appreciated  ?  " 

"  There  is  One  who  knows,  Madge." 

The  girl  was  silent,  revolving  some  tangled  problem  ui 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  63 

ner  mind.  The  world  looked  so  wide  and  conlused  to 
her  just  then !  Why  were  the  good  and  true  called  upon 
to  suffer,  the  selfish  and  cold-hearted  prospered,  burdens 
of  all  kinds  coming  together,  and  — 

"Jessie,  what  do  you  do  when  everything  looks  wrong 
and  hard,  —  unjust,  I  mean?  Doesn't  it  seem  as  if  God 
sometimes  forgot  people  for  a  while  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  Jessie  returned  slowly,  her  eyes  going 
out  to  the  distant  heavens.  "I  feel  as  if  I  wanted  to  keep 
close  to  him,  that  I  might  not  be  forgotten ;  and  he  can 
make  a  little  light  shine  on  the  darkest  path." 

"I  do  not  believe  that  I  understand  it  in  your  way. 
When  I  see  anything  wrong  and  mean,  I  experience  a 
strong  desire  to  rush  out  and  fight  it  to  the  end,  set  the 
matter  right,  and  make  others  acknowledge  it.  I  met 
May  Rossiter  a  few  days  ago,  and  I  wanted  to  say  to  her, 
'I  am  just  as  good  and  worthy  without  a  dollar  as  I  was 
three  months  ago,  when  papa  was  rich.' " 

Jessie  smiled  at  the  energy  and  the  face  flushing  to  a 
brilliant  color. 

"  We  must  let  some  things  go,  Madge,"  she  said.  "  You 
remember  poor  Don  Quixote's  fate.  No  one  but  God  can 
*ight  all  the  wrong  things  in  the  world." 

"  More's  the  pity  ! "  and  Madge  sighed. 

"Do  you  want  a  human  deliverer?  O,  Madge,  that  is 
a  dangerous  longing." 

"I  would  like  to  have  matters  set  straight." 

"But  that  can  only  be  in  heaven.  And  if  God  places 
as  here  to  work  out  a  destiny,  we  must  take  up  the  duty 
that  lies  nearest;  I  believe  we  shall  always  find  that 
sufficient." 

Madge  was  silent,  but  her  active  mind  went  traversing 
limitless  space.  She  was  daring,  and  but  for  her  extreme 
honesty  and  love  of  truth,  would  have  been  easily  set 
astray. 

One  April  morning,  the  last  of  their  possessions  were 


64  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

carried  out  of  dear  old  Home  Nook.  Madge  wnnderea 
up  and  down  declaring  that  it  was  just  like  a  funeral. 
Among  the  trees  the  birds  were  chirping  and  sending  out 
little  trills  on  the  mellow  air.  Down  there  the  maples 
would  bud,  the  lilacs  shower  wafts  of  spicy  sweetness, 
and  the  wind  make  long,  tremulous  furrows  in  the  tall 
June  grass.  Here  on  the  porch,  roses  and  honeysuckle 
would  bloom  in  riotous  beauty,  and  the  flowers  they  had 
tended  with  such  care  would  delight  other  hearts  and 
eyes. 

Madge  suddenly  felt  rebellious  and  defiant.  What  had 
they  done  that  this  great  trouble  should  come  upon 
them? 

Eleanor  paced  slowly  down  the  stairs  and  through  the 
wide  hall.  She  was  very  pale  —  so  stricken,  indeed,  that 
Jessie  longed  to  clasp  her  arms  about  the  slender  form 
and  comfort  her.  The  pain  and  suffering  had  not  lifted 
her  out  of  herself,  nor  ennobled  her  in  any  respect.  The 
self-reliance  had  not  the  vital  pith  of  an  heroic  soul,  but 
the  pride  of  a  narrow  one.  There  was  a  strange  sinking 
about  the  eyes,  and  a  look  that  in  a  tenderer  face  would 
have  been  wistful.  But  the  scarlet  lips  were  still  defiant, 
and  in  strong  contrast  with  the  pallor  of  the  brow. 

Ah,  Eleanor  Ashburton,  you  think  now  that  life  has  no 
greater  trial  to  offer  than  leaving  behind  all  these  luxuries, 
and  going  out  into  what  you  call  the  desert.  But  there 
are  strifes  that  rend  the  soul,  pangs  that  go  deeper  than 
loss  of  wealth  and  station.  It  may  be  yours  to  know  all 
this,  to  find  yourself  solitary  and  friendless,  and  to  cry  from 
the  depths  of  despair  to  the  God  whom  you  now  slight. 

"Come,"  Philip  began,  in  his  cheery  way;  "we  are 
going  to  seek  our  fortunes  in  a  new  world.  Just  here  on 
the  threshold  let  us  pray  that  we  may  return." 

Would  they  ever?  Glancing  at  each  other  with  sor- 
rowful young  eyes,  the  voices  were  too  tremulous  to  uttei 
any  response.  Perhaps  the  silent  prayers  were  heard 
above  by  Him  whom  nothing  escapes. 


THE  CBOWN   OP  DUTY.  66 

The  servants,  except  Hannah,  had  been  discharged  a 
few  days  before.  She  was  to  accompany  them,  and  was 
fain  to  remain ;  but  Mrs.  Ashburton  was  too  conscientious 
to  take  advantage  of  her  devotion.  One  and  another 
thronged  round  for  a  last  good  by ;  but  at  length  they  were 
seated  in  the  cars.  How  frequently  they  had  taken  the 
short  journey  for  pleasure! 

The  fragrant  breath  of  the  spring  morning  came  in 
delicious  wafts  as  they  passed  reaches  of  meadows  broken 
by  hurrying  streams,  or  clumps  of  pungent  cedars  of  deep- 
est green.  The  sunshine  quivered  in  the  air  like  a  tremu- 
lous veil,  but  their  eyes  were  dim  to  beauty.  All  th« 
tender  grace  of  the  world  seemed  left  behind  at  Home 
Nook. 

Madge  was  the  first  to  rally.  For  all  they  had  spent 
days  in  arranging  their  new  house,  it  was  still  far  from 
perfect.  There  was  some  unpacking  yet  to  be  done,  and 
the  home-like  touches  to  add.  Philip  was  to  go  back 
after  his  parents,  and  the  three  girls  went  to  work  with 
much  energy. 

"  What  a  lucky  thing  that  there  is  a  grate  here ! "  ex- 
claimed Madge.  "  I'm  going  to  build  a  tiny  fire,  for  it  will 
be  chilly  this  evening." 

She  longed  to  add  that  it  would  also  give  a  touch 
of  the  place  that  had  always  been  so  dear,  but  she 
deemed  it  wiser  not  to  call  up  the  recollection.  As  the 
fire  blazed  in  its  blue  and  scarlet  gleams,  her  courage 
returned.  Jessie  slid  into  the  housekeeping  niche  most 
gracefully.  Indeed,  so  engrossed  were  they  that  the  after 
noon  sped  by  almost  unheeded. 

A  carriage  rolled  through  the  street  and  halted  at  the 
door.  Philip  assisted  his  mother  out,  and  Jessie  ran  to 
give  her  a  welcome.  Mr.  Ashburton  followed,  leaning 
heavily  on  his  son,  and  they  were  ushered  into  the  library, 
as  they  had  christened  the  back  parlor.  Pretty  and  fa- 
miliar things  were  grouped  about,  quaint  bracket*  with  a 
5 


t>6  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

vase,  or  a  little  marble  bust  that  had  commended  itself  tc 
some  one's  love,  the  well-known  pictures,  papa's  easy-chair 
and  the  great,  roomy  lounge  in  green  reps.  In  the  chim- 
ney recesses  stood  two  book-cases  that  just  filled  the  space. 
One  had  belonged  to  Philip,  and  the  other  to  the  girls. 

"It  is  really  delightful!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ashburton. 
"I  think  you  must  have  been  gifted  with  fairy  skill 
Why,  we  hardly  miss  anything!" 

She  could  not  have  bestowed  more  precious  praise  upon 
Madge  and  Jessie. 

Mr.  Ashburton  was  made  comfortable  upon  the  lounge, 
Eleanor  arranged  his  pillow  and  threw  a  light  afghan 
over  his  shoulders.  The  younger  ones  took  their  mother 
through  the  house,  displaying  each  room  with  no  little 
pride. 

"  It  is  quite  wonderful,"  she  said,  in  her  sweet  fashioa 
"  I  feel  as  if  we  might  be  very  happy  here." 

"O,  mamma,  if  we  should  be!" 

"  And  why  not,  Jessie  ?  " 

There  was  a  look  of  calm  and  tender  resignation  in  the 
fair  face  that  it  was  good  to  behold  —  a  kind  of  glorified 
endurance. 

"My  darlings,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  said,  "God  has  left  us 
the  greatest  of  all  blessings  in  preserving  our  little  house- 
hold unbroken.  We  must  show  our  gratitude  by  not 
repining  at  what  he  saw  best  to  take.  I  believe  I  could 
spare  the  fortune  more  readily  than  any  of  you." 

"O,  mamma,  I  begin  to  think  it  will  not  be  so 
terrible,  after  all.  And  now  look  at  our  rooms.  Philip 
insisted  upon  taking  this  little  one.  Nelly's  will  have  to 
bo  used  if  we  have  any  company." 

"I  do  not  suppose  that  we  shall  be  altogether  neg- 
lected." 

"  Some  one  will  want  to  see  how  we  look,  and  if  we 
bear  our  misfortunes  well,"  Madge  said,  with  natirica) 
gayety. 


THE  CKOWN  OP  DUTY.  67 

al  hope  that  we  have  a  few  friends  actuated  by  a 
higher  motive  than  curiosity,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  rejoined 
with  tender  gravity. 

"There  is  a  good  deal  of  meanness  and  selfishness  in 
the  world,"  Madge  made  energetic  reply. 

"  My  darling,  it  pains  me  to  see  you  begin  life  with  this 
spirit  of  railing.  Can  we  not  give  others  credit  for  as 
much  generosity  and  kindness  as  we  possess?" 

Madge  was  silent  from  regard  to  her  mother.  Eleanor 
fancied  that  the  careless  and  light-hearted  child  was  not 
capable  of  much  suffering;  but  many  things  during  the 
past  month  had  stung  her  keenly. 

They  did  not  finish  their  examination  a  moment  too 
soon,  for  just  then  the  dinner-bell  rang. 

"  Help  me  out,  Philip,"  Mr.  Ashburton  said  to  his  son. 
"I  want  to  take  this  first  meal  in  our  new  home  with 
you  all." 

As  he  uttered  the  words  "  our  new  home,"  it  touched 
them  with  a  sense  of  nearness  they  had  not  experienced 
before.  And  though  it  was  an  effort  to  totter  out  to  the 
dining-room  and  sit  through  the  meal,  growing  more  ex- 
hausted with  every  second,  yet  he  bore  up  for  his  children's 
sakes. 

His  illness  had  told  fearfully  upon  him,  and  he  looked 
like  an  old  man.  His  eyes  were  sunken,  and  the  lines  had 
deepened  in  his  thin  cheeks.  His  whole  frame  trembled 
at  the  slightest  motion,  and  his  voice  had  in  it  a  strangely 
weak  quaver. 

Yet,  on  the  whole,  it  was  an  enjoyable  meal,  more  cheer- 
ful than  they  could  have  imagined.  And  though  Mr. 
Ashburton  had  to  be  taken  to  bed  immediately  afterwards, 
he  begged  his  wife  to  spend  the  evening  with  the  chil- 
dren. 

"I  surely  can  spare  you  for  a  little  while,"  he  said, 
u  after  having  had  all  your  time  of  late." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  found  the   young  folks  in  quite  an 


68  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

animated  discussion  about  household  affairs.  It  WIN 
rather  warm,  and,  in  some  respects,  Utopian.  Eleanor, 
perhaps,  best  understood  the  value  of  money. 

Philip  announced  to  them  that,  after  all  expenses  wer» 
paid,  they  would  have  about  seven  hundred  dollars  re- 
maining. This  he  proposed  to  place  in  a  bank  for  a  sort 
of  reserve-fund.  Eleanor  had  said  that  they  could  not 
live  on  Philip's  salary. 

"But  I'm  thankful  that  we  shall  not  have  to  call  upon 
Clement  this  year.  It  is  high  time  that  we  heard  from  him. 
And  who  will  write  ?  " 

Philip  paused,  for  his  voice  was  a  trifle  unsteady. 

"  I  will,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton.  "  And  I  believe  that  we 
shall  find  him  both  sympathizing  and  generous." 

"  If  he  can  buy  back  Home  Nook  some  day ! " 

They  all  hoped  in  their  hearts  that  he  might  possess  both 
the  desire  and  the  ability. 

u  I  believe  I  shall  learn  to  do  something,"  Madge  de- 
clared. "  I  must  dream  out  my  splendid  possibilities ! " 

"And  now  let  us  sing  'Naomi'  for  our  evening  hymn," 
said  Mrs.  Ashburton. 

Eleanor  went  to  the  piano.  Mrs.  Ashburton  had  a 
purpose  in  proposing  this  hymn.  It  had  always  been  a 
great  favorite  of  hers,  for  the  sweet  content  breathed  in 
every  line.  And  as  the  young  voices  blent  with  Philip's 
rich  tenor,  she  observed  with  pain  that  one  was  silent. 
How  they  lingered  over  the  last  dear  line, — 

"  And  crown  my  journey's  end,"  — 

M  if  it  were  indeed  a  prayer. 

"Good  night." 

It  was  their  mother's  voice  and  kiss.  They  had  taken 
the  first  important  step  in  their  journey ;  but  how  and 
where  would  it  end  ? 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  69 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ROMANCE    AND    EXPERIENCE. 

A  maw  life  indeed.  Its  social  aspects  were  so  widely 
different  that  it  took  the  family  some  time  to  feel  at  all 
settled  in  their  new  sphere.  They  would  have  been  more 
than  human  if  they  could  have  submitted  to  the  change 
at  once,  and  kindly.  Every  day,  dozens  of  trifling  wants 
and  sacrifices  bore  down  upon  them,  making  in  the  aggre- 
gate a  burden  not  easily  borne  as  yet. 

Philip  accepted  his  position  with  a  sturdy  manliness. 
At  eight  in  the  morning  he  took  his  place  at  the  desk,  with 
piles  of  correspondence  before  him,  through  which  he 
waded,  answered,  and  placed  on  file,  vibrating  between 
this  and  the  journal-like  ledger.  He  had  to  endure  the 
imperious  ways  of  consequential  elders,  and  a  species  of 
sneering  impertinence  from  ill-bred  and  rather  jealous 
juniors,  who  considered  him  an  interloper,  promotion  being 
generally  the  rule  in  this  large  mercantile  house.  From 
three  till  six  the  seniors  finished  their  work,  and  dropped 
off  slowly,  and  Philip  was  thankful  when  he  could  close 
the  tiresome  pages  and  set  his  face  homeward. 

Hannah  had  remained  a  week,  and  then  left  reluctantly. 
Jessie  insisted  upon  trying  the  post  of  housekeeper  first, 
for,  as  Mr.  Ashburton  appeared  rather  poorly  again,  his 
wife  devoted  herself  chiefly  to  nursing.  Eleanor  took  the 
supervision  of  the  rooms,  and  Madge  declared,  dismally, 
that  there  was  nothing  left  for  her. 

She  did  not  find  much  time  to  be  idle,  however.  There 
was  the  yard  to  tidy,  and  the  flower-beds  to  be  put  in 
order ;  errands  to  do,  sweeping,  cleaning,  and  odds  and 
ends  af  all  kinds,  which  generally  fell  to  her  lot. 


70  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

When  they  came  to  the  end  of  May,  the  monthly  account* 
were  made  out.  It  seemed  that  they  had  given  up  all  the 
luxuries  and  every  needless  expense,  except  a  few  delica« 
cies  for  their  father.  And  yet  the  expenses  during  the 
month  had  amounted  to  nearly  one  hundred  dollars  1 

The  girls  glanced  at  each  other  in  dismay. 

"  Just  twice  Philip's  salary,"  said  Eleanor.  "  I  said  that 
we  could  not  live  on  that.  And  when  we  come  to  buy 
clothes — " 

"  I'm  sure  we  have  studied  over  every  dish  and  every 
dollar  —  haven't  we,  Madge?"  Jessie  began,  in  great  ear- 
nest, as  if  she  felt  herself  tacitly  accused  of  extravagance. 

"And  had  the  very  simplest  of  lunches  and  desserts. 
How  do  poor  people  live  ?  " 

They  still  retained  their  late  dinners  on  Philip's  account, 
but  they  had  been  shorn  of  much  of  their  elegance.  In- 
deed, the  girls  had  prided  themselves  upon  being  partic- 
ularly economical,  and  consulted  mamma  beforehand. 

"  We  must  try  again,"  said  Jessie,  hopefully.  "  When 
we  come  to  have  experience  — " 

"I  wish  I  could  do  something,"  interrupted  Madge, 
energetically.  "  We  have  everything  in  such  good  order 
now  that  I  might  be  spared." 

Eleanor  flushed  and  bit  her  lip.  This  seemed  a  covert 
thrust  for  her,  though  Madge  had  no  such  thought. 

"  What  could  you  do  ?  "  she  asked,  with  something  like 
contempt. 

tt  I  do  not  know ; "  and  a  lovely  color  mantled  the  child's 
face.  "  Around  on  the  avenue  there  is  a  girl  tending  in  a 
fancy  store.  She  gets  four  dollars  a  week." 

"Madge,  have  you  no  more  pride  than  to  mix  up  with 
such  people  ? "  demanded  Eleanor,  angrily,  her  dark  eyes 
flashing. 

Madge  was  abashed.  She  had  fallen  into  a  friendly  talk 
with  the  girl  one  day,  who,  finding  herself  an  object  of 
interest,  did  not  hesitate  to  make  her  case  as  entertaining 
as  possible. 


THE   CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  71 

«  But,  Nelly  —  " 

"I  am  sure  neither  mamma  nor  Philip  would  tolerate 
such  an  idea!  You  are  too  young,  and  such  positions 
always  give  a  girl  a  bold  and  flippant  manner;  and  you  are 
careless  enough  now,  Madge.  If  you  must  do  anything 
presently,  there  is  gchool  teaching,  which  is  always  respect- 
able—" 

u  And  which  would  kill  me,  I  am  sure.  I  never  could 
endure  that." 

A  ring  at  the  door  made  a  break  in  the  discussion. 
Madge  ran,  and  brought  back  a  letter  for  Eleanor. 

"  From  aunt  Waltham,"  she  said,  handing  it  to  her  sister. 

Eleanor  broke  the  seal  of  violet-colored  wax  containing 
her  aunt's  aristocratic  monogram.  Then  she  read  in  silence. 
The  others  could  not  well  renew  the  conversation ;  so  Jessie 
took  up  some  sewing  that  was  in  her  kitchen  work-basket. 

"  Aunt  Waltham  is  coming  next  week,"  said  Eleanor, 
presently.  "  She  will  spend  Tuesday  with  us." 

That  was  not  the  most  agreeable  announcement  in  the 
world,  but  the  girls  took  it  without  comment. 

Philip  laughed  a  little  at  their  long  faces  that  evening, 
when  they  related  their  poor  attempt  at  economy. 

"  Why,  I  think  that  does  very  well,"  he  said.  "  You 
will  learn  much  by  experience,  and  there  have  been  several 
articles  purchased  this  month  that  we  may  not  need  in 
some  time  again." 

"  But  by  the  end  of  the  year  we  shall  have  all  our  money 
spent,"  rejoined  Jessie,  in  a  tone  of  apprehension. 

"Well,  we  may  be  doing  better  another  year — at  least, 
I  may.  Just  now,  you  see,  my  age  is  against  me.  Every 
year  tells  on  a  salary." 

Philip  spoke  hopefully,  as  he  believed.  Having  taken 
hold  of  work  in  good  earnest,  he  would  look  only  at  the 
bright  side. 

"  And  there  is  always  Clement  to  fall  back  upon,"  pui- 
sued  Madge. 


72  HOME   NOOK,  OB 

al  have  a  fancy  that  I  should  like  to  work  through  with- 
out  any  help  from  Clement.  I  know  just  how  he  will  feel 
about  the  loss  of  Home  Nook,  and  he  will  never  rest  until 
it  is  ours  again.  So  if  we  could  save  that  much  for  him, 
it  would  be  like  adding  to  the  store." 

"  Dear  Phil,  when  I  hear  you  talk  it  seems  as  if  we 
might  have  it ;  but  I  am  doubtful." 

"  Well,  we'll  do  the  best  we  can." 

"  But  some  of  us  ought  to  help." 

Madge  uttered  this  with  a  perplexed  face.  She  was 
quite  anxious  to  know  Philip's  opinion  concerning  employ- 
ment for  girls. 

"  I  think  you  do  assist,"  he  said,  gravely.  "  For  a  month 
we  have  only  had  a  woman  come  in  to  wash  and  iron. 
5Tou  have  kept  the  house  in  order,  cooked,  gone  to  market, 
and  helped  wait  upon  papa.  I  have  found  no  buttons  oflj 
had  plenty  of  collars  and  handkerchiefs,  and  have  not  been 
compelled  to  go  without  my  breakfast.  Are  you  not  satis- 
6ed  with  that  praise,  O  small  housekeeper?" 

They  both  laughed.  Madge  felt  that  she  must  give  up 
her  point  for  the  present,  but  it  only  slept  in  the  active 
brain,  and  was  ready  to  wake  at  the  first  summons. 

u  I  am  glad  that  you  do  not  feel  discouraged  with  us," 
Jessie  said,  almost  gayly. 

"  Discouraged !    No,  indeed." 

Then  they  talked  a  little  about  aunt  Waltham's  visit, 
which  was  rather  dreaded. 

"Girls,"  said  Philip,  "she  must  take  us  just  as  we  are. 
And  I  think  aunt  Waltham  is  very  sensible  in  some  mat- 
ters. She  will  not  expect  the  elegance  of  Home  Nook  in 
this  little  nest,  and  I'm  sure  Jessie  cooks  nicely  enough  for 
a  queen." 

"And  Madge  can  make  lovely  desserts,"  was  Jessie's 
comforting  rejoinder. 

It  could  hardly  be  said  that  Mr.  Ashburton  improved  at 
all.  Some  days  he  cheered  them  a  good  deal  ty  coming 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  7& 

down  stairs  and  taking  a  walk  around  the  garden,  as 
Madge  insisted  upon  calling  it.  Small  as  it  was,  it  proved 
quite  a  source  of  interest  and  pleasure.  The  lilacs  had 
budded,  and  the  honeysuckle  thrust  out  long,  brownish-red 
tendrils,  that  suggested  sweetness  and  bloom.  The  peach 
tree  was  ready  to  shower  the  glory  of  its  pale  pink  blos- 
soming, and  Philip  had  brought  home  several  clusters  of 
pansies,  and  a  lovely  monthly  rose. 

Mr.  Ashburton  glanced  at  them  listlessly,  as  if  his  mind 
was  far  away.  It  had  certainly  received  a  severe  shock. 
Then  there  were  days  when  he  hardly  left  his  couch,  and 
his  pallid  face  filled  them  all  with  alarm. 

Mr.  Stanhope  had  gone  to  Europe,  though  no  one  knew 
in  exactly  what  capacity,  taking  his  daughter  with  him. 
Mr.  Ashburton  had  not  seen  him  since  the  commencement 
of  his  illness,  and  he  had  felt  quite  hurt  at  this  want  of 
friendly  interest.  It  could  hardly  be  called  that,  either, 
for  he  had  always  been  eager  in  his  inquiries.  Frequently 
had  he  said  to  Philip,  "I  was  coming  up  to  Riverside 
yesterday,  but  this  or  that  event  occurred.  Remember 
me  to  your  father,  and  tell  him  that  I  shall  surely  be  up 
in  a  day  or  two." 

A  few  days  before  his  sailing  he  had  hurried  into  Philip's 
place  of  business. 

"I  just  stepped  in  to  leave  a  good  by  for  your  father," 
he  exclaimed,  in  apparent  haste.  "  It  is  too  bad  that  I've 
not  seen  him,  for  we  have  been  the  best  of  friends  many  a 
year,  and  I'm  sorry  to  go  away  without ;  but  my  time  is  so 
brief,  and  I  have  been  just  driven  every  moment.  We  both 
tried  to  do  our  best,  Fin  sure,  and  no  one  can  regret  this 
unfortunate  affair  more  deeply  than  I.  Give  him  my  sin- 
cerest  regards,  and  my  hopes  for  his  recovery  and  prosper- 
ity. I  have  set  out  to  do  the  best  that  I  can." 

"He  wanted  to  see  you  very  much,"  Philip  could  not 
help  saying ;  and  he  gave  a  quick,  scrutinizing  glance  at 
the  other's  face. 


74  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

Mr.  Stanhope  colored,  and  his  peculiar  light-gray  eye* 
wavered  somewhat. 

"  It  is  just  possible  that  I  may  run  up  a  moment.  Give 
me  the  number,  please ;  and  I  am  sure  that  I  wish  you  all 
success,  though  there  are  many  changes  in  life ;"  and  he 
Bighed. 

Philip  went  on  with  his  writing,  but  he  could  not  dismiss 
the  half  suspicion  that  Mr.  Stanhope  was  at  the  bottom  of 
their  misfortunes.  He  had  acted  rather  singularly.  Mr. 
Weir,  who  had  now  gone  to  Chicago,  had  once  expressed 
something  like  a  doubt,  and  it  haunted  Philip  persistently. 
He  never  whispered  it  at  home,  however. 

Mr.  Ashburton  felt  the  coldness  and  neglect  keenly, 
though  he  made  no  sign.  After  this  last  message,  he  waited 
in  a  nervous,  expectant  state,  the  disappointment  rendering 
him  noticeably  worse. 

He  had  never  been  able  to  recall  the  exact  conversation 
of  that  fatal  morning.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  in 
the  heat  of  the  moment  expressed  some  unguarded  doubt 
or  suspicion  that  he  regretted  the  instant  after.  The 
swarthy  flush  upon  Mr.  Stanhope's  face  and  the  flash  of 
his  eye  had  startled  him  in  many  a  dreaming  moment 
since.  Then  that  endless  and  confusing  mass  of  fig- 
ures, the  appalling  losses,  the  sort  of  crushing,  hopeless 
weight  that  seemed  to  be  dashed  upon  him,  still  made  him 
shiver. 

He  knew  that  Home  Nook  was  Bold,  and  that  he  had 
come  out  of  the  wreck  with  a  good  name ;  but  it  was  the 
dreary  waste  between  that  so  troubled  him.  If  some  one 
could  set  the  weak  brain  straight,  and  tell  him  what  was 
reality,  and  how  much  feverish  dreams  and  reveries !  Or 
if  he  could  recover  1  But  this  lapse  of  time  and  energy 
upon  a  sick-bed  seemed  unendurable. 

Madge's  two  or  three  unwittingly  pointed  sentences 
stirred  an  uncomfortable  feeling  in  Eleanor's  soul.  She 
kept  thinking  of  it  that  night  in  the  solitude  of  her  own 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  75 

room,  after  the  rest  were  in  peaceful  slumber.  She  could 
not  deny  but  that  the  new  life  had  entailed  some  duty  upon 
her  as  well  as  the  rest.  If  Philip  was  unable  to  meet  the 
family  expenses,  she  surely  came  next  on  the  list. 

What  should  she  do  ?  Teach  school,  as  she  had  recom- 
mended to  Madge?  Situations  in  private  schools  were 
generally  dispensed  to  those  who  were  well  armed  with 
credentials,  and,  perhaps,  for  public  schools  one  would 
need  favor  or  friends.  She  shrank  from  both  with  intense 
disgust.  There  was  music  left,  but  how  could  she  gain 
any  pupils  ?  And  could  her  fine,  sensitive  nerves  stand 
the  rude  shocks  such  labor  would  bring? 

She  could  be  spared  the  best,  it  was  true.  She  had  a 
bitter  feeling  that  no  one  would  miss  her  or  long  for  her, 
that  the  girls  would  be  really  happier  without  her.  It 
was  her  misfortune  to  be  so  far  removed  from  ordinary 
souls  that  she  could  feel  very  little  sympathy  with  their 
tastes  and  aims.  Hers  were  so  different.  Any  great  and 
heroic  task  she  would  be  quite  ready  for,  but  these  petty, 
wearying  cares  were  distasteful  in  the  last  degree. 

In  this  mood  she  turned  again  to  aunt  Waltham's  letter, 
with  its  dangerous  tenderness  and  counsel.  Eleanor  felt 
that  here  she  was  indeed  understood  ;  that  her  shrinking 
from  aught  that  was  commonplace  or  coarse  was  appreciated 
to  the  full.  And  when  that  lady  mentioned  that  she  had 
a  plan  to  propose  which  might  render  dear  Eleanor's  life 
more  comfortable,  she  knew  that  she  might  trust  in  its 
being  something  that  she  could  accept. 

Not  that  Eleanor  had  complained  —  she  was  too  proud 
for  that,  even  if  her  delicacy  had  not  kept  her  from  such 
a  step.  But  there  had  been  a  weariness  and  foreboding 
in  her  letters  that  her  aunt  understood  well,  and  gener- 
ously hastened  to  the  rescue. 

I  say  generously,  for  Mrs.  Waltham  was  a  selfish  woman, 
and  not  quite  as  rich  as  she  delighted  to  appear.  Her 
regret  now  was,  that  she  had  not  insisted,  the  summer  before, 


76  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

upon  giving  her  a  fashionable  tour,  instead,  of  having  hei 
go  to  Canada  with  her  parents,  and  ramble  around  old 
churches  and  nunneries.  The  family  prestige  would  have 
afforded  her  a  fine  opportunity  of  marriage ;  but  she  was 
still  young  and  handsome,  and  it  was  worth  trying. 

Eleanor  ended  her  troubled  thoughts  at  last  by  resolving 
to  wait  until  aunt  Waltham  came.  So  she  looked  forward 
anxiously  to  the  following  Tuesday,  while  it  came  quite  too 
noon  for  the  girls. 

A  handsome  carriage  set  Mrs.  Waltham  down  at  her 
brother's  house.  The  unfashionable  neighborhood  was  bad 
enough,  but  this  mean  abode  !  Poor  Eleanor,  indeed  ! 

It  looked  very  cheerful  and  pretty  within,  this  June 
morning.  A  small  vase  of  flowers  stood  on  the  centre- 
table,  and  the  piano  was  open.  She  entered  with  her  arm 
around  Eleanor,  and  her  voice  modulated  to  the  tenderest 
inflection. 

"  My  poor  child,  how  wonderfully  you  have  borne  the 
trial !  Why,  you  are  not  as  worn  and  faded  as  I  felt  almost 
sure  you  must  be." 

Eleanor  flushed,  perhaps  with  a  little  conscious  pride. 

This  had  been  Mrs.  Waltham's  greatest  fear,  and  to  find 
her  so  fresh  and  lovely  banished  the  last  misgiving. 

Jessie  and  Madge  came  in,  presently,  to  see  their  aunt, 
and  found  her  exceedingly  gracious.  Mrs.  Ashburton,  too, 
met  with  a  warm  greeting.  In  fact,  aunt  Waltham  was  in 
her  most  delightful  mood. 

In  spite  of  Philip's  injunction,  Madge  begged  for  one  or 
I  wo  little  luxuries  for  lunch. 

"For  aunt  is  so  sweet  and  pleasant  that  I  feel  like 
making  everything  as  nice  as  possible,"  she  said.  "I 
expected  that  she  would  look  down  upon  us  with  supreme 
contempt." 

After  an  hour  spent  in  her  brother's  room,  and  at  the 
dainty  lunch,  which  she  actually  praised,  she  and  Eleanor 
took  possession  of  the  parlor. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  7T 

"  What  do  you  think  of  papa  ?  "  the  young  girl  asked. 

"  Why,  it  seems  to  me  that  he  has  scarcely  improved  since 
I  left  Home  Nook  in  March.  He  is  looking  very  poorly." 

Eleanor  sighed. 

"  It  is  a  hard  trial.  I  do  not  see  how  you  are  all  to  get 
along." 

"  That  is  what  troubles  me  every  day  and  hour !"  Eleanor 
exclaimed,  with  sudden  vehemence. 

Suppose  this  foolish  girl  had  made  some  quixotic  re- 
solves for  herself! 

"My  dear  Nelly,"  she  began,  in  her  soft,  persuasive  voice, 
"  a  great  part  of  my  visit  here  to-day  was  to  you.  I  have 
some  plans  that  I  want  to  discuss,  and  I  have  been  thinking 
about  your  future.  If  you  were  a  young  man  of  twenty, 
you  might  plunge  into  the  world  and  soon  do  for  yourself; 
but  women  seem  peculiarly  helpless  unless  they  well  nigh 
unsex  themselves,  as  many  of  the  present  day  are  doing. 
I  have  always  taken  a  warm  interest  in  you,  as  you  well 
know,  and  if  you  were  alone  you  would  find  a  kind  friend  in 
me,  I  assure  you." 

"You  have  been  such  a  comfort  already,"  murmured 
Eleanor. 

"  I  fancy  that  you  must  sometimes  have  a  misgiving  that 
you  are  not  quite  appreciated  in  this  household.  Some  few 
rare  souls,  Eleanor,  are  born  to  a  higher  estate  than  that 
which  fate  thrusts  upon  them,  and  you  are  one.  I  know 
how  this  life  must  annoy  you  —  what  a  daily  trial  it  is." 

Now  and  then  a  gleam  of  strong,  pure  truth  shot  across 
Eleanor  Ashburton's  brain,  drowning  out  these  misty 
fancies  and  longings  that  she  called  her  nature.  And  just 
at  this  instant  she  felt  that  it  was  cowardly  not  to  make  a 
protest  for  the  others.  But  she  said,  rather  hesitatingly,  — 

"  It  is  a  sore  trial  to  us  all." 

"  But  Jessie  seems  quite  in  her  element,  and  will  make 
a  much  more  sensible  woman  than  if  she  had  run  wild 
about  Riverside,  considering  herself  a  Lady  Bountiful. 


T8  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"No,  they  are  quite  different  from  you." 

It  was  very  true  —  Eleanor  could  not  gainsay  that,  and 
was  silent. 

"So,  my  dear,  I  think  of  taking  you  in  charge  this  sum- 
mer.  I  spoke  to  your  papa,  and  he  appeared  pleased,  I 
fancied.  It  is  so  hard  to  be  shut  out  of  all  the  pleasures 
that  girls  of  your  age  love." 

If  ever  Eleanor  was  to  make  a  stand,  now  was  the  time 
to  do  it.  In  the  depths  of  her  heart  there  was  a  vague  idea 
that  it  would  be  more  truly  noble  to  share  poverty  and  toil 
with  the  stricken  home-circle  than  to  accept  this  opportu- 
nity of  ease  and  gayety.  Her  pulses  rushed  to  a  gudden 
heat,  but  there  was  no  strong  power  to  weld  them  into  the 
requisite  strength  and  shape. 

"My  dear,  you  are  very  silent,"  said  aunt  Waltham, 
dryly. 

Eleanor  flushed  deeply. 

"  I  think  —  aunt — "  she  began,  falteringly,  "  that  I  ought 
to  stay  at  home  —  " 

"  Nonsense,  Eleanor ! "  with  some  asperity.  u  What 
good  can  you  do  ?  Madge  and  Jessie  are  sufficient  for  the 
housework,  and  your  father  surely,  does  not  need  more 
than  one  nurse.  With  Philip's  salary,  every  one  counts. 
So,  do  not  be  foolish." 

It  seemed  curious  to  Eleanor,  in  her  after-life,  that  she 
took  this  sharp  retort  so  meekly.  Her  mental  forces  were 
very  evenly  balanced,  and  a  feather's  weight  one  way  or 
the  other  decided  the  case. 

Aunt  Waltham  gained  it,  of  course.  She  set  forth  elo- 
quently the  advantage  Eleanor's  absence  would  prove,  and 
the  great  benefit  that  might  accrue  to  the  girl  herself. 

"  For  you  have  never  actually  been  in  society.  The 
money  spent  upon  that  foolish  tour  of  last  summer  would 
have  given  you  a  position  at  once ;  but  your  mother  thinks 
very  little  of  the  future.  My  dear  child,  you  will  find  you/ 
best  friend  in  me." 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  79 

She  leaned  over  and  kissed  Eleanor  tenderly. 

"Mamma  was  quite  willing?  "  she  asked. 

"  Of  course.  And  your  father  favors  it.  He  feels  keenly 
the  misfortune  he  has  brought  upon  you  all." 

"O,  auntl  don't;"  and  Eleanor's  face  paled  with  help- 
less supplication. 

"  Yes,  you  might  as  well  have  had  something !  Doesn't 
even  the  Bible  recommend  that  one  make  friends  of  the 
mammon  of  unrighteousness  ?  It  sounds  very  pretty  to 
despise  money,  but  we  shall  hardly  be  able  to  do  without 
it  before  the  millennium  comes." 

Then  Mrs.  Waltham  changed  her  tone,  thinking  that 
she  had  flavored  her  speech  sufficiently.  The  tenderness 
was  very  hard  for  Eleanor  to  resist. 

She  dilated  glowingly  on  her  plans  for  the  summer.  A 
friend,  whose  husband  was  absent  in  Europe,  had  begged 
her  to  spend  three  months  at  least  with  her  at  Newport, 
where  Mr.  Gifford  owned  an  elegant  little  nest.  And  if 
they  could  find  some  agreeable  young  lady  — 

She  understood  just  what  pretty  and  foolish  Mrs.  Gifford 
wanted.  Her  husband's  sisters,  neither  of  them  very 
young,  would  be  rather  severe  censors.  She,  Mrs.  Wal- 
tham, could  do  the  matronly  part  with  high  breeding  and 
style,  and  this  young  lady  would  be  an  apparent  attraction 
for  visitors. 

Mrs.  Gifford  was  quite  too  discreet  to  compromise  her- 
self in  any  manner  —  that  Mrs.  Waltham  knew.  There 
would  be  a  great  deal  of  the  best  society  at  the  house,  and 
if  Eleanor  happened  to  attract  some  one's  attention,  so 
much  the  better  for  her.  The  child  was  capable  of  gracing 
any  station. 

She  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  explain  to  her  brother 
or  sister-in-law  the  particulars  of  the  invitation,  and  when 
she  mentioned  very  delicately  that  she  should  take  charge 
of  Eleanor's  expenses,  they  could  only  thank  her  for  he/ 
generosity.  Mrs.  Walthan  gained  a  great  deal  of  credil 
one  way  and  another  on  a  very  small  capital. 


80  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

I  am  not  sure  but  that  both  parents  had  a  dim  suspicion 
of  the  end  in  view.  Mr.  Ashburton  questioned  within  hii 
weak  mind  whether  he  had  any  right  to  keep  his  child 
from  a  pleasant  future,  if  it  chanced  to  smile  upon  her, 
since  he  would  never  be  able  to  restore  the  past  brightness. 
And  the  mother  felt  too  sure  of  her  daughter's  truth  and 
honor  to  dream  for  a  moment  that  she  would  sully  it  by 
any  worldly  devices  or  a  mercenary  marriage. 

It  was  settled,  before  aunt  Waltham  took  her  leave,  that 
Eleanor  should  accompany  her.  There  was  not  much  time 
to  be  lost,  so  in  a  few  days  she  would  be  up  again  with  a 
dress-maker,  and  Eleanor's  wardrobe  must  undergo  a  reno- 
vation, and  perhaps  sundry  additions. 

Eleanor  rather  dreaded  Philip's  verdict,  but  to  her  sur- 
prise it  was  very  agreeable. 

"Well,  why  shouldn't  she  do  something  nice  for  you 
girls  ?  "  said  he,  frankly.  "  I  remember  once  that  papa 
saved  quite  a  large  part  of  her  fortune  from  ruin,  and  you 
are  the  only  nieces  she  has,  for  she  does  not  affect  her  hus- 
band's relatives  a  great  deal.  I  suppose  whatever  is  left 
will  come  to  us  in  the  end  ;  though  it  seems  odd  for  us  to 
count  upon  any  one's  money  —  doesn't  it  ?  And  I  hope 
Nelly  will  have  a  delightful  time." 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  81 


CHAPTER  VH. 

SHIFTING    SANDS. 

ELEANOR  ASHBURTON  was  not  certain  that  this  New- 
port plan  pleased  her.  It  had  looked  quite  tempting,  at 
first,  in  the  change  and  relief  which  it  promised,  and 
the  time  it  gave  her  for  consideration.  She  fancied  that 
she  was  trying  earnestly  to  decide  what  it  was  best  to  do 
with  her  future  life  —  what  her  duties  were  to  her  parents 
and  sisters. 

And  yet  she  was  much  deceived  in  herself.  The  strong- 
est desire  of  all  was  to  escape  from  the  distasteful  hard- 
ships with  which  her  path  appeared  to  be  encompassed. 
Jessie  and  Madge  might  take  to  them  with  the  ardent  ro- 
mance of  youth  to  which  every  change  has  its  charms,  bu 
she  felt  it  all  too  keenly.  She,  too,  had  a  vague  idea  of  the 
result  in  view,  and  this  was  what  gave  her  the  almost  mor- 
bid shrinking,  and  yet  could  not  supply  sufficient  courage 
for  one  brave  step. 

She  knew  enough  of  the  world  to  understand  that  many 
very  fair  marriages  were  entered  into  from  motives  of  in- 
terest. It  must  be  confessed  that  some  of  them  were  far 
more  comfortable  than  the  desperate  so-called  love- 
matches.  But  her  daily  example  had  been  one  of  the 
highest  and  purest  love,  the  reverence  and  sacred  faith 
that  must  be  the  foundation  of  true  household  life. 
Through  all  their  misfortunes  she  had  never  heard  her 
mother  utter  one  word  of  regret  for  herself.  She  could 
cheerfully  have  accepted  one  room  and  the  plainest  fare, 
BO  that  her  husband  was  spared. 
6 


82  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Not  so  with  Eleanor.  She  found  herself  i  everting  to 
many  of  her  aunt's  ideas  concerning  the  business.  If  papa 
had  made  a  little  provision  in  prosperity  —  if  there  was 
some  slight  dependence  besides  Philip  and  Clement ! 

Aunt  Waltham  gave  her  little  time  for  reflection.  The 
house  was  quite  alive  with  bustle  and  interest.  The  dress- 
maker went  to  work  remodelling,  and  fashioned  most 
wonderful  and  elegant  garments  out  of  the  past  Bummer's 
attire.  A  pale,  quiet  woman,  verging  on  to  middle  life, 
whose  taste  should  have  given  her  a  much  higher  position, 
hut  she  suited  Mrs.  Waltham  admirably,  as  there  would 
be  no  danger  of  her  gossiping  about  these  economical  ar- 
rangements. Now  and  then  Eleanor  was  tempted  to  de- 
mur a  little  at  some  unusual  finery,  but  it  was  quickly 
checked. 

"Nonsense,  child;  what  do  you  know  of  such  things? 
You  are  much  too  pretty  to  look  dowdy  and  old-fashioned." 

She  did  not  add,  which  was  the  truth,  that  she  could  not 
afford  to  have  this  campaign  lost. 

The  younger  girls  were  wild  with  delight  at  the  beauti- 
ful transformations.  Jessie,  who  was  quick  with  her 
needle,  spent  all  her  spare  time  in  assisting,  and,  in  the 
course  of  a  fortnight,  Eleanor  found  her  wardrobe  in  per- 
fect order,  and  quite  elegant,  at  a  very  small  expense. 

June  came  in  warm,  and  the  fashionable  season  opened 
early.  Eleanor  and  aunt  Waltham  were  to  start  at  the 
middle  of  the  month. 

The  young  girl  had  been  roused  to  new  interest,  it  must 
be  confessed.  The  pleasure  that  the  others  anticipated  for 
her  in  some  measure  reacted  upon  herself.  The  gay 
dresses,  the  pleasant  flutter,  the  bright  faces  around  her 
growing  tenderer  with  the  parting  in  view,  rendered  her 
quite  like  her  olden  self,  or,  perhaps,  more  fond ;  for  usually 
Eleanor  Ashburton  was  not  a  demonstrative  girl. 

Mr.  Ashburton,  lying  on  his  couch  with  wistful  eyes,  felt 
his  heart  yearn  over  his  eldest  daughter.  He  had  always 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  83 

taken  a  peculiar  pride  in  her,  and  he  shrank  now  from  al- 
lowing her  thus  to  appear  a  suppliant  for  the  world's  favor. 
His  ideas  had  always  been  at  variance  with  his  worldly- 
wise  sister,  and  he  dreaded  to  trust  his  darling  to  her  care. 

Yet  from  the  first  it  would  have  appeared  selfish  to  re- 
strain her.  Perhaps,  through  a  fatal  lack  of  discretion,  oi 
energy  and  prudence  at  the  proper  moment,  he  had  in 
some  degree  blighted  their  lives.  Helpless  himself,  he 
must  not  make  their  burdens  too  heavy.  And  so  he 
could  only  commend  her  to  God. 

"My  darling,"  her  mother  said,  "I think  you  understand 
some  of  the  temptations  that  may  come  in  your  path.  In 
the  whirl  and  excitement  of  pleasure,  the  highest  good  may 
be  so  easily  forgotten !  Can  I  not  trust  you  to  remem- 
ber ?  " 

Eleanor  colored  as  her  glance  met  the  tender  yet  steady 
eyes  of  her  mother. 

"  There  is  a  loftier  purpose  to  life  than  mere  enjoyment, 
though  I  do  not  wish  to  shadow  yours  now.  Still,  I  can- 
not let  you  go  without  a  word  of  counsel." 

"  Mamma,"  Eleanor  returned,  rather  proudly,  "  you  may 
trust  me  without  a  misgiving.  I  have  no  desire  to  rush 
into  follies  and  frivolities." 

"  It  is  not  merely  those  quicksands.  An  unguarded  step 
sometimes  opens  the  door  to  disastrous  consequences. 
Aunt  Waltham's  views  are  so  different  on  many  points, 
that  I  should  tremble  if  I  thought  her  likely  to  gain  any 
ascendency  over  you." 

Eleanor  smiled.  "  I  am  not  so  weak  or  impulsive  as  to 
be  easily  swayed  against  my  judgment,"  she  said,  de- 
sisively. 

"  And  yet  we  can  do  so  little  in  our  own  strength.  O, 
my  child,  if  I  knew  that  in  any  doubt  or  difficulty  you 
would  rely  upon  this  higher  power ! " 

A  peculiar  expression  crossed  Eleanor's  face,  leaving  it 
cold  and  reticent.  Mrs.  Ashburtou  had  always  felt  her 


84  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

self  shut  out,  iu  some  measure,  from  her  eldest  daughter's 
confidence.  The  fine  sympathy,  the  tender  nearness  that 
distinguished  both  Madge  and  Jessie,  had  always  seemed 
wanting  in  her;  and  though  from  early  girlhood  there  had 
been  little  to  complain  of  in  the  almost  critically  correct 
character,  the  glowing,  vitalizing  influence  of  that  highest 
of  all  motives  had  appeared  lacking. 

She  was  silent  now,  feeling  consciously  the  gulf  between ; 
neither  did  she  wish  to  pain  her  mother  by  any  expression 
of  indifference,  which,  after  all,  she  did  not  really  feel. 
In  one  respect  her  heart  was  very  tender  on  this  last  day 
that  they  were  to  be  together  in  a  long  while. 

Ah,  why  must  there  so  often  be  a  veil  between  ?  Truly 
said  the  apostle,  "For  now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly." 
Is  it  not  so  in  human  love,  as  well  as  divine  ?  And  so  the 
grace  of  the  moment  is  dimmed  by  a  cold  look,  a  careless 
turn  of  the  head,  or  a  silence  that  sways  the  current,  and 
the  barques  that  might  have  floated  in  dearest  harmony 
down  the  sea  of  content  drift  far  apart,  watched  by  pitying 
angels.  On  what  far  ocean  will  they  meet  again  ? 

The  mother  breathed  a  fervent  prayer  with  her  farewell. 
Would  her  child  come  back  to  her  the  same  in  heart  ?  It 
is  well  that  we  learn  to  trust,  that  faith  abides  so  long  in 
the  soul,  or  some  burdens  would  be  heavy  indeed. 

They  kissed  her  many  times,  and  wished  her  all  manner 
of  delight  and  enjoyment.  Then  the  carriage  door  shut 
with  a  sharp  click,  and  the  travellers  were  on  their  way. 

Mrs.  Waltham  surveyed  her  companion  with  a  great 
deal  of  complacency.  She  fancied  that  she  was  conferring 
a  very  generous  favor,  and  meant  to  make  her  undertaking 
a  success.  If  Eleanor  married  well,  it  would  be  an  excel- 
lent thing  for  the  family.  She,  in  turn,  could  chaperon 
Madge  or  Jessie  —  Madge  most  likely,  as  she  promised  the 
more  brilliancy  and  effectiveness.  It  would  be  a  great  re- 
lief to  her  poor  brother,  she  thought,  with  pitying  conde- 
scension. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  85 

The  picture  opposite  was  a  fair  one,  certainly ;  this  ele- 
gant girl,  with  a  figure  and  style  that  would  be  the  envy 
of  half  the  women  with  whom  she  came  in  contact ;  for 
Mrs.  Waltham  was  not  ignorant  of  the  petty  jealousies 
and  rivalries  of  society  that  are  so  often  hidden  under  a 
charming  demeanor.  But  her  attractiveness  did  not  end 
there.  The  pure  complexion  requiring  no  aid  from  art ;  the 
fine,  soft,  abundant  hair  framing  in  the  face  with  a  sugges- 
tive, shadowy  twilight,  relieved  by  the  vivid  scarlet  of  the 
curved  lips,  and  the  slow-moving,  lustrous  eyes.  Little 
did  Eleanor  guess  that  she  was  being  appraised  for  the 
matrimonial  market,  and  that  every  line,  every  grace  of 
nature  was  scanned  with  a  critical  eye,  from  the  small, 
faultlessly  gloved  hand,  lying  carelessly  in  her  lap,  to  the 
slender  foot,  with  its  arching  instep. 

"Yes,"  aunt  Waltham  mentally  commented,  "she  is 
sure  to  marry  well.  She  has  no  foolish  romance  about  her, 
but  is  a  dear,  sensible  girl,  and  has  never  been  half  appreci- 
ated by  her  family." 

She  might  not  have  been  so  well  satisfied  if  she  had 
known  Eleanor's  thoughts.  Conscience  was  making  a 
strong  protest.  It  was  cowardly  to  take  this  ease  and  en- 
joyment while  the  others  were  left  to  bear  the  burden  and 
heat  of  the  day.  This  queenly  air  and  the  haughty  curl 
of  the  lip,  that  her  aunt  was  studying  with  infinite  satis- 
faction, was  the  result  of  the  latent  contempt  in  which  she 
held  herself.  If  she  had  dared,  she  would  have  stopped 
the  carriage  now  and  gone  back ;  but  some  spell  stronger 
than  this  desire  restrained  her,  and  so  she  drifted  on  to  fate, 
confident  that  the  strength  unable  to  save  her  here  could 
rescue  her  triumphantly  elsewhere. 

For  the  next  few  days  they  were  very  busy  at  home  re- 
storing order  to  the  rooms  that  had  been  brought  into  con« 
gtant  confusion  by  the  late  preparations.  Madge  declared 
that  she  was  thankful  for  a  little  quiet,  and  Mrs.  Ashbur- 
ton  felt  relieved  in  spite  of  her  anxieties. 


86  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

It  was  destined  to  be  of  short  duration,  however.  Philij 
came  home  in  a  thoughtful  mood. 

"  Dr.  Conway  was  here  to-day."  Jessie  announced. 

The  kind-hearted  physician  dropped  in  now  and  then, 
having  a  friendly  interest  in  his  patient. 

"  Yes,  I  asked  him  to  call.  He  came  to  see  me  after- 
wards." 

"Philip! "  and  Madge  started  in  dismay. 

a  My  dear  Madge,  there  is  no  cause  for  alarm ;  at  least, 
it  was  merely  to  satisfy  myself." 

"But  you  think  papa  worse?"  she  said,  in  quick  alarm. 

"No,  not  worse,  but  he  is  making  very  little,  if  any, 
progress  towards  recovery.  I  wanted  to  know  what  Dr. 
Conway  thought." 

Both  girls  looked  at  him  with  eager,  questioning  eyes, 
Jessie's  face  pale  with  apprehension,  while  Madge's  flexible, 
nervous  lips  quivered  in  pain. 

"  Dr.  Conway  proposes  a  change  to  some  stronger  and 
more  bracing  air.  He  needs  rousing,  both  physically  and 
mentally,  and  there  is  nothing  here  to  do  it." 

"  But  where  could  he  go  ?  " 

"Dr.  Conway  mentioned  a  place  up  at  the  Catskill 
Mountains  —  not  among  the  fashionable  resorts,  but  at  a 
roomy,  quiet  country-house,  where  he  would  have  the 
privilege  of  a  drive  every  day,  and  the  terms  would  not  be 
very  expensive." 

Philip  looked  doubtfully  at  the  girls  as  he  said  this.  He 
wanted  to  ask  another  question,  but  a  peculiar  feeling  re- 
strained him. 

"  We  need  not  go  ! "  Madge  exclaimed,  decisively,  inter- 
preting the  perplexed  expression. 

"If  you  girls  wouldn't  mind  staying  at  nome  —  and  yet 
you  do  need  a  holiday." 

"  But  we  can  hardly  afford  it,"  returned  Jessie,  quietly 
"  Our  expenses  last  month  were  quite  heavy,  and  we  must 
begin  to  economize ; "  with  a  sweet,  patient  smile. 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  87 

"  How  much  will  it  cost  for  them  ?  "  asked  Madge,  going 
at  once  to  the  practical  part. 

"  They  took  two  friends  of  the  doctor's,  last  summer,  foi 
fifteen  dollars  a  week,  which  is  very  cheap ;  but  then  the 
place  is  quite  beyond  the  fashionable  limits.  I  asked  him 
to  write  and  inquire  for  me." 

Philip  sighed  a  little.  Poverty  had  its  inconveniences, 
it  must  be  confessed.  He  felt  tempted  to  send  them  all, 
and  shut  up  the  house. 

"It  will  be  a  very  good  plan,"  said  Jessie,  "and  just 
what  papa  needs.  The  confinement  begins  to  tell  upon 
mamma,  too,  I  fancy,  and  so  it  will  be  best  to  try  a  change." 

"  You  ought  to  go,  too,"  Philip  began  remorsefully. 

"  No,"  returned  Madge,  clearly.  "  You  would  be  very 
lonesome,  and  since  we  are  both  well  and  strong  we  do 
not  need  the  trip.  If  they  could  remain  through  the  two 
warm  months,  it  would  be  so  nice ! " 

"Dr.  Conway  feels  confident  that  it  will  contribute  ma- 
terially to  his  recovery.  Another  year  it  might  be  too  late." 

Both  girls  shivered  a  little  at  this. 

"  We  shall  not  mind  staying  at  home,  Phil,  dear,"  Madge 
began  presently,  in  a  reassuring  tone.  "  I  have  a  host  of 
things  to  do  ;  and  then  the  house  will  be  in  nice  order  for 
the  return  of  the  travellers.  It  is  a  splendid  plan." 

Her  bright  face,  and  rich,  cheery  voice,  were  worth  a 
good  deal.  Philip  felt  lighter-hearted  already. 

Nothing  happened  to  interfere.  Mrs.  Cummings  would 
take  the  Ashburtons  at  her  former  reasonable  terms,  if 
they  could  put  up  with  plain  accommodations.  A  large 
room  was  at  their  service,  and  she  would  try  to  make  it  as 
pleasant  as  possible. 

Dr.  Conway  announced  all  the  particulars,  and  advised 
Mr.  Ashburton  to  try,  at  least. 

He  was  quite  willing ;  so  preparations  were  undertaken 
for  another  journey. 

"  The  place  has  the  merit  of  not  being  so  very  far  oflj* 


88  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

Philip  said,  consolingly.  "  We  can  take  a  little  trip  up 
there  occasionally." 

"  If  papa  only  should  get  well,"  was  Madge's  strong 
hope,  expressed  dozens  of  times  during  the  day. 

He  seemed  to  rally  with  the  excitement,  and  a  flush 
came  now  and  then  to  his  pale  cheek.  There  was  no  parade 
of  wardrobe  this  time,  and  the  packing  was  not  very  ex- 
tensive. 

Eleanor  had  written  twice,  in  very  good  spirits,  and  with 
a  touch  of  affection  and  earnestness  that  set  all  doubts  at 
rest.  So  that,  although  the  parting  was  sad,  there  was 
much  to  inspire  them  with  hope. 

Philip  had  arranged  for  Madge  and  Jessie  to  make  a 
brief  visit  at  Riverside.  He  was  to  go  with  his  parents 
and  remain  one  night,  and  their  staying  alone  in  the  house 
was  not  considered  at  all  admissible.  As  yet  they  had 
made  no  intimacy  with  neighbors. 

Madge  proposed  dozens  of  old  friends  and  places,  but, 
Jessie  had  a  longing  for  Hetty  Bright's  simple  home  and 
warm  welcome.  So,  after  seeing  the  three  safely  started, 
the  two  girls  took  the  cars  for  that  familiar  place  to  which 
their  hearts  still  clung. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  delight  of  Mrs.  Rachel  and 
her  sister  at  this  surprise.  The  two  girls  were  kissed 
again  and  again  by  Miss  Hetty,  who  cried  one  moment 
and  laughed  the  next. 

"  Why,  Miss  Madge,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you're  prettier 
than  ever!  It  is  a  good  sight  for  old  eyes.  I  believe  I  never 
missed  anj  thing  in  my  life  so  much  as  you  and  Miss  Jessie  1 " 

Mrs.  Rachel  looked  so  cool  and  sweet  in  her  old-fashioned 
*awn  and  black  silk  apron,  her  soft  hair  combed  smoothly 
across  her  white  forehead,  making  two  or  three  tiny  curves ! 
There  was  a  peculiar  still,  refined  grace  about  her,  as  if 
the  bustle  and  change  of  the  world  could  never  touch  her. 
Jessie  felt  rested  at  the  first  glance.  It  was  a  bit  of  shady 
woodland  fragrance  after  the  glaring,  dusty  highway. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  89 

"But  Jessie  looks  pale  and  care-worn.  What  have  yon 
been  doing,  my  dear  ?  " 

"  Why,  nothing — very  much,"  she  replied,  inconsequently. 

"Jessie  has  turned  into  a  royal  housekeeper,"  said  Madge, 
enthusiastically.  "  She  doesn't  exactly  bake  and  brew,  but 
there  are  so  many  things,  when  you  have  no  servant !  And 
the  hardest  part,  you  see,  is  puzzling  our  brains  over  econ- 
omy! How  much  for  so  much?  we  ask  each  other  con- 
tinually." 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  bother.  I'm  sure  I  do  not  know  what  I 
should  have  done,  if  it  had  not  been  for  Rachel.  She 
used  to  sit,  and  sew,  and  plan,  turn  ideas  and  things  inside 
out  and  upside  down.  I  could  do  well  enough  after  it 
was  thought  out." 

"Philip  helps  us  think,"  said  Madge.  "  He  is  almost  as 
good  as  a  girl.  I  do  believe  I  would  rather  have  him  in 
the  kitchen  than  Nelly." 

"  And  now  tell  us  about  the  others.     Your  dear  father  ?  n 

They  described  a  little  of  what  their  life  had  been,  and 
how  every  one  had  taken  it.  Hetty  bustled  in  and  out, 
putting  forth  one  of  her  queer  speeches  now  and  then,  that 
always  seemed  to  fit  in  with  the  completeness  of  a  laugh. 
And  out  of  all  the  stir  came  the  tempting  dinner  table, 
with  its  four  plates  instead  of  two. 

"  It  was  so  good  of  you  to  come  right  here,"  said  Miss 
Hetty.  "  I  declare,  I  feel  like  the  folks  in  fairy  tales,  when 
stray  piinces  dropped  down  upon  them.  I  wonder  if  every 
thing  is  nice  enough." 

They  laughed  heartily  at  that.  Madge  was  her  gay; 
olden  self.  Afterwards  she  insisted  upon  helping.  She 
made  such  a  charming  picture,  with  her  sleeves  tucked  up, 
and  Miss  Hetty's  wide  gingham  apron  half  enveloping  her. 
While  she  tripped  around  the  kitchen,  Jessie  and  Mrs. 
Rachel  fell  into  a  more  sober  talk. 

u  Is  there  any  trouble  ? "  she  asked,  taking  the  sweet 
face  between  her  soft,  wrinkled  hands. 


90  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

**  Not  much,"  returned  Jessie,  with  a  slight  color. 

"  Mrs.  Rachel,"  —  after  a  long  pause,  and  with  a  wistful^ 
deprecating  smile,  —  "  I  wonder  if  one  can  be  as  good  amid 
all  the  hurry,  and  trouble,  and  anxieties  of  poverty?" 

"Why  not,  my  dear?" 

"Because  there  are  BO  many  things  to  occupy  one's 
thoughts,  so  many  duties  and  cares.  When  we  were  at 
Home  Nook,  it  all  seemed  easy  enough.  There  were  nice 
long  talks  with  mamma,  church  and  Sunday  school,  time 
for  reading  and  meditation,  and  visiting  the  poor,  which 
kept  it  all  fresh  in  one's  mind. 

"  And  now  —  you  go  to  church,  of  course  ?  " 

"  Not  always,"  she  answered,  slowly.  "  It  is  often  late 
in  the  morning,  and  we  cannot  all  go  out;"  with  a  little 
rise  of  color,  that  showed,  Jessie-like,  the  spirit  of  self- 
denial  ;  "  and  there  is  seldom  any  service  in  the  afternoon. 
We  often  spend  our  evenings  in  papa's  room,  singing  — 
he  likes  it  so  much.  Then  we  miss  Mr.  Kenneth.  I  can't 
seem  to  take  root  anywhere." 

"  That  is  just  it,"  said  Mrs.  Rachel.  "  Every  one  needs 
some  haven  to  which  his  bark  can  be  moored." 

"  It  is  hard  to  make  new  friends." 

"Have  you  tried?" 

"  Not  very  much.  The  nearest  clergyman  called  upon 
us  once,  but  he  seemed  stiff  and  cold.  I  suppose  we  can- 
not expect  strangers  to  feel  an  interest  in  us  immediately ; " 
and  Jessie  sighed. 

O,  ministers  of  God,  do  you  think  your  duty  ends  with 
prayers,  and  sermons,  and  visits  to  the  sick  and  needy, 
who  are  thrust  upon  your  notice,  as  it  were  ?  For  thuro 
are  some  fine  spirits  vexed  and  hindered,  whose  inward 
light  burns  dimly  for  want  of  friendly  contact,  and  who 
grope  about  in  darkness,  longing  to  love  and  to  do,  and 
yet  finding  no  niche  where  their  souls  may  expand.  W  ho 
shall  answer  for  all  this  at  the  last  ? 

"  And  what  else  have  you  done,  my  dear  ?  " 


THE  CROWN  OS1  DUTY.  91 

"Nothing.  I  seem  to  be  floating  about,  wondering,  and 
questioning  God  why  all  these  things  came  upon  us.  I 
don't  mean  that  I  am  impatient  or  especially  doubtful,  but 
I  do  not  feel  so  much  at  rest." 

"  This  is  a  trial  of  faith,  Jessie.  Some  dark  days  come 
into  all  lives.  Can  you  not  hold  fast  by  God,  and  believe 
that  He  who  loved  us  and  gave  himself  for  us  knows  what 
is  best  ?  Our  dim  eyes  cannot  always  see  through  the 
clouds,  and  our  faith  is  sometimes  slow  to  perceive." 

"  He  doesn't  seem  as  near  to  me  as  at  dear  old  Home 
Nook.  I  sometimes  feel  myself  drifting  away,  and  long  to 
clasp  some  strong  support  —  a  stay  that  will  be  sure  and 
vital.  Then  the  cares  and  work  come  pressing,  and  I 
almost  lose  my  hold." 

"  Yes,"  Mrs.  Rachel  said,  with  a  faint  smile,  "  the  carea 
of  this  world  choke  out  the  good  seed,  you  know." 

"  And  what  must  I  do  ?  " 

She  asked  the  question  with  simple  earnestness,  and  the 
shy,  soft  eyes  were  downcast. 

"I  often  think  of  the  old  scriptural  injunction,  'Pray 
without  ceasing.'  It  is  only  by  keeping  close  to  God  that 
we  are  safe.  And  yet  it  seems  to  me  that  if  you  have 
thought  so  much  of  this,  you  have  not  strayed  very  far." 

Madge  and  Miss  Hetty  emerged  from  the  kitchen,  the 
maid  bright  and  glowing,  pulling  down  her  sleeves,  and 
giving  her  shining  ringlets  a  twist. 

"  I  don't  believe  this  little  cubby  ever  was  so  gay  be- 
fore," declared  Miss  Hetty.  "It's  been  a  regular  state 
dinner.  You  are  so  entertaining  and  hopeful !  The  storm 
has  only  gone  over  you,  my  dear,  not  wet  you  a  bit,  and 
you've  come  out  in  the  blue  sky,  and  the  rainbow,  and  all 
the  promise  of  things  to  be." 

"  I  can't  help  feeling  bright  and  happy.  I  suppose  1 
ought  to  be  sorrowful,  and  croon  dismally  over  my  lost 
estate;  and  yet  I  have  a  sort  of  presentiment  that  we  shall 
»11  come  back  some  day." 


92  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"I  hope  it  will  be  in  my  time,"  added  Mrs.  Kachel,  with 
a  sweet  smile. 

Afterwards  Madge  set  out  for  a  ramble,  but  Jessie  pre- 
ferred to  stay  in  and  finish  her  talk.  A  pleasant  one  it 
was,  gradually  growing  clearer  and  more  comforting, 
sweetening  and  strengthening  the  life  she  had  to  brave, 
ennobling  the  petty  duties,  and  touching  them  with  an 
illuminating  beam,  giving  a  deeper  meaning  and  sanctity 
to  the  trial  that  had  been  laid  upon  them  all. 

Madge  did  not  return  until  evening,  and  Jessie  was 
startled  at  finding  their  old  friend,  Charlie  Westlake,  her 
escort.  The  explanation  was  simple  enough.  Madge  had 
been  drinking  tea  with  the  Kenneths,  and  Charlie  had 
dropped  in  through  the  course  of  the  evening.  For  almost 
a  year  the  girls  had  not  seen  him,  as  he  was  in  college ; 
but  when  he  clasped  Jessie's  hand,  she  felt  that  he  had 
not  changed  with  their  fallen  fortunes. 

A  fair,  frank  face  this  of  Charlie  Westlake's,  with  the 
immaturity  of  twenty  years  that  had  left  him  still  boyish 
and  impulsive.  Yet  there  was  a  latent  nobleness  in  his 
broad  brow  and  clear  eyes,  and  the  girlishly  rounded  chin 
was  redeemed  by  the  firm  lines  about  the  mouth.  Life 
held  no  special  meaning  for  him  now,  perhaps,  but  there 
was  much  that  could  be  roused  into  ambition  and  strength. 

But  there  was  a  curious,  absorbed  expression  in  Madge's 
face  that  her  sister  never  remembered  seeing  there  before, 
—  a  kind  of  introspection,  as  if  she  was  glancing  at  some 
thought  that  richly  satisfied,  —  and  a  strange  depth  and 
tremor  in  her  voice.  The  inexplicable  quiet  was  not  pain, 
nor  sadness,  but  a  dreamy,  restful  peace. 

u  You're  tired  to  death,"  said  Miss  Hetty,  with  kindest 
solicitude,  after  Mr.  Westlake  had  taken  his  departure. 
w  I've  put  the  room  all  in  order,  and  aired  it  until  it  is 
quite  cool  and  pleasant ;  so  now  you  must  go  to  bed.  You 
will  be  bright  as  a  bird  again  in  the  morning." 

Madge  made  no  demur.      With  a  tender  good  night. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  98 

both  girls  went  lightly  up  the  narrow  stairs.  The  room 
was  quaintly  furnished,  like  the  rest  of  the  house,  and  the 
capacious  high-post  bedstead,  with  carved  head-board,  was 
mahogany,  rich  with  the  coloring  of  age,  and  the  white 
adornments  were  in  strong  contrast. 

"How  odd!"  Madge  exclaimed;  and  then  she  lapsed 
into  silence,  and  commenced  her  preparations  slowly. 

"Did  you  have  a  pleasant  time!"  Jessie  asked. 

"  O,  yes.  I  ventured  on  a  few  calls  besides.  Jessie,  the 
loss  of  fortune  does  make  a  difference  with  some  people." 

"  And  that  is  why  you  are  unhappy  ?  "  with  the  quick 
pang  of  apprehension. 

"Unhappy!"  and  she  laughed,  softly,  like  the  ripple  of 
a  brook  blown  about  by  summer  winds.  "  Why,  I  am  not 
unhappy." 

The  glowing  eyes  and  flushed  face  attested  this. 

"  But  you  are  so  —  so  strange ! " 

"  Am  I  ?  "  in  a  vague,  careless  way. 

Jessie  was  puzzled.  Then  she  and  Madge  read  their 
chapter  alternately,  and  knelt  to  say  their  prayers  with 
their  arms  around  each  other's  neck.  Madge  lingered  a 
long  while. 

At  last  the  light  was  out,  and  the  rays  of  the  young 
moon  came  stealing  through  the  open  window.  Jessie 
could  not  sleep.  The  tranquillity  of  a  few  hours  before 
had  vanished,  and  though  she  was  not  troubled,  a  spell 
seemed  to  quiver  through  every  nerve  —  a  presentiment 
that  was  too  deep  for  pleasure  and  too  calm  for  pain. 

A  soft  hand  came  stealing  over  her  shoulder  presently, 
and  a  low,  tremulous  voice  said, — 

"  Jessie,  are  you  asleep  ?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  quiet  answer. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  a  secret  —  something  odd  and 
strange,  and,  O,  so  sweet ! "  with  a  lingering  intonation. 
"Charlie  Westlake  loves  me,  and  I  love  him.  We  are 
engaged." 


94  HOME  NOOK,  OR 

"O,  Madge  !"  in  a  tone  of  fright  and  pain.  "And  with« 
out  mamma's  knowledge  ! " 

tt  It  is  to  be  as  she  and  papa  say.  I  am  sixteen,  and  he 
is  twenty ;  so,  of  course,  we  will  have  some  years  of  waiting. 
He  has  one  more  term  in  college,  and  will  then  study  a 
profession.  I  don't  mind.  It  is  very,  very  sweet,  Jessie. 
And  it  all  came  from  a  talk  about  the  fortune." 

Jessie  was  too  much  amazed  to  reply.  So  long  indeed 
was  the  silence  that  Madge  lapsed  into  blissful  dreams ; 
but  Jessie  watched  until  the  moon  had  trailed  her  white 
glory  across  the  sky  and  fallen  asleep  amid  the  golden 
•tan. 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  96 


CHAPTER   Vltt. 

LOOKING  AT   THE  FUTUBE. 

ALTHOUGH  Jessie  Ashburton's  slumbers  were  in  one 
sense  refreshing,  they  were  far  from  being  tranquil. 
Snatches  of  strange  and  troubled  dreams  crossed  her  brain, 
and  she  awoke  at  early  dawn,  while  the  birds  were  still  at 
their  matins.  Madge  was  sleeping  peacefully,  the  fair 
face  delicately  flushed,  and  her  own  soft,  vague  smile  part- 
ing the  lips. 

Had  Madge  actually  confessed  that  wild  and  childish 
romance  of  the  night  before,  or  had  it  been  a  part  of 
Jessie's  fancy  ?  It  really  seemed  as  if  it  could  not  be  true, 
or,  being  true,  might  fail  of  possibility.  Six  months  ago 
Jessie  would  hardly  have  doubted;  but  now  all  was  so 
changed  !  And  then  they  were  both  so  young ! 

She  rose,  and  sat  a  long  while  by  the  open  window. 
She  could  see  the  outline  of  the  Hudson  through  the 
spaces  between  clumps  of  trees  and  clusters  of  houses,  and 
the  Palisades  rising  on  the  opposite  shore,  blue  and  dusky 
in  the  morning  light,  with  the  fleecy  clouds  of  rose  and 
pearl  crowning  them.  All  was  so  serene,  so  full  of  peace, 
that  Jessie  forgot  the  mere  worldly  troubles,  and  lifted 
her  heart  to  God.  It  seemed  then  as  if  all  things  were 
indeed  possible;  that  out  of  this  chaos  of  shadow,  and 
doubt,  and  dim  foreboding,  the  promise  of  beauty  asked 
for  might  still  be  realized. 

How  long  she  lingered  there  drinking  in  heavenly 
peace  and  comfort  she  hardly  knew.  She  heard  the  ener- 
getic Miss  Hetty  stirring  about  down  stairs,  and  rejoined 
her  presently,  leaving  Madge  still  asleep. 


96  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

She  and  Miss  Hetty  had  quite  an  entertaining  tim« 
comparing  housekeeping  notes.  Amid  this  the  breakfast 
was  prepared,  and  Mis.  Rachel  assisted  in  her  morning 
duties.  Just  at  this  moment  Madge  came  flying  down, 
bright  and  rosy,  and  the  day  was  fairly  begun. 

Madge  was  quite  like  her  olden  self,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed. During  the  morning  several  of  the  neighbors 
came  in  to  call  upon  them ;  and  until  the  moment  of 
starting,  the  sisters  had  not  exchanged  a  word  upon  the 
subject  that  occupied  the  thoughts  of  both  almost  ex 
clusively. 

Miss  Hetty  proposed  to  walk  to  the  station  with  them. 
"  But  this  isn't  half  a  visit,"  she  said,  in  her  brisk  fashion. 
"  I  do  not  see  why  you  couldn't  come  up  and  stay  a  week. 
Philip  could  do  very  well  without  you." 

Jessie  did  not  like  to  promise.  The  picture  of  Philip 
in  solitude  was  not  a  satisfying  one. 

"  Well,  you  know  you're  welcome  any  time,  and  not 
only  you  two,  but  any  of  the  others.  Remember  to  give 
my  love  to  them  all,  and  especially  to  your  dear  mamma. 
God  bless  you  all,  and  watch  over  you.'* 

Mrs.  Rachel's  farewell  was  very  tender,  She  longed  for 
some  power  to  restore  their  fallen  fortunes,  and  yet  she 
felt  that  God  knew  best,  and  that  in  his  infinite  mercy  he 
would  make  manifest  the  right  path. 

As  they  were  crossing  the  platform,  Charlie  Westlake 
sauntered  up  from  the  opposite  direction.  He  would  have 
been  loath  to  confess  to  any  one  but  Madge  that  he  had 
resolved  to  linger  in  the  vicinity  all  the  afternoon,  in  the 
hope  of  meeting  them  at  last. 

Jessie  looked  very  grave.  The  kind  of  elder-sisterly 
feeling  that  she  exercised  over  Madge  seemed  strong  upon 
her,  and  yet  she  was  helpless. 

"This  is  real  nice,"  Charlie  exclaimed.  "I  am  going 
down  to  the  city,  too  ;  so  I  suppose  you  will  give  them 
into  my  charge,  Miss  Hetty,  and  111  promise  to  see  that 
they  reach  their  destination  safely." 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  97 

His  frank  manner  and  winsome  smile  won  Miss  Hetty's 
heart.  Besides,  she  was  certain  that  he  was  too  noble 
to  forget  his  old  friends.  As  for  anything  beyond  the 
merest  boyish  friendship,  that  would  never  have  entered 
her  head. 

"  Yes,  I  am  glad,  Mr.  Westlake,"  she  replied,  unsuspi- 
ciously. "  They're  precious  enough  to  a  good  many  yet." 

Madge  colored  violently,  and  turned  her  head.  Charlie 
had  promised  to  see  her  again,  it  was  true ;  but  she  had 
meant  first  to  have  a  good  long  talk  with  Jessie. 

However,  there  was  no  help  for  it.  Charlie  went  for 
their  tickets  with  a  very  mannish  air.  They  said  good  by 
to  Miss  Hetty,  and  took  their  seats,  Madge  with  a  peculiar 
consciousness,  as  if  she  really  had  been  guilty  of  deceit. 
And  so  they  were  all  rather  awkward,  but  the  noise  of  the 
car  was  an  apology  for  conversation. 

At  last  they  reached  their  own  little  cottage. 

"  Why,  how  pretty  it  is ! "  Charlie  said,  thankful  there 
was  something  that  he  could  talk  about.  "One  does 
not  often  see  anything  like  this  in  New  York,  unless  it  is 
on  a  grand  scale.  You  don't  miss  the  river  either,  though 
the  Long  Island  hills  are  not  much  like  our  own  Palisades." 

Jessie  found  her  key,  and  ushered  him  in.  None  of 
their  bygone  friends  had  yet  seen  their  simple  home.  It 
did  look  pretty,  and  she  was  very  glad. 

Charlie  Westlake  could  not  resist  the  pleasure  of  mak- 
ing himself  quite  at  ease.  It  had  been  so  in  the  old  Home 
Nook  days.  His  own  elegant  home  had  always  suffered 
by  contrast.  He  liked  the  air,  the  geniality,  the  pleasant 
interchange  of  feeling  that  he  had  always  found  among 
the  Ashburtons. 

"  Only  one  misses  your  mother  out  of  it  all,"  he  said, 
with  his  bright  smile. 

Jessie  hardly  knew  whether  it  was  proper  to  leave  the 
lovers  for  an  explanation  or  not.  Finally,  generosity 
triumphed  over  prudence.  She  went  ostensibly  to  open 
7 


98  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

the  windows,  and  see  that  nothing  had  been  disturbed 
Then  she  cut  some  fresh  flowers  and  filled  the  vases,  for 
Philip  would  soon  return. 

She  took  one  in  her  hand  when  she  went  back  to  the 
parlor.  Madge  was  in  tears,  but  they  were  not  those  of 
sorrow,  for  she  smiled  softly  through  them. 

"Jessie,"  —  and  Charlie  Westlake  rose  and  came  towards 
hot,  —  "  we  both  have  something  to  tell  you,  though  Madge 
says  she  confessed  it  in  part  last  night.  I  have  always 
loved  her ;  it  seems  to  me  that  you  must  know  that.  And 
when  at  college  I  first  heard  of  your  loss,  I  cannot  tell  how 
glad  I  was  to  think  that  I  could  make  it  up  in  part  to 
Madge." 

u  But  you  are  both  so  young : "  Jessie  replied,  trembling- 
ly, shrinking  from  the  responsibility  thus  thrust  upon  her. 

"Yes  ;  but  1  believe  I  have  loved  Madge  ever  since  she 
could  walk;  so  it's  no  new  thing.  And  I  once  heard  Mrs. 
Ashburton  say  that  bhe  was  married  before  she  was  seven- 
teen;" and  he  smiled  archly.  "We  do  not  contemplate 
anything  like  that,  for  I  have  another  year  in  college,  and 
my  law  studies  besides.  So  Madge  can  take  plenty  of 
time  to  consider  whether  she  likes  me  or  not." 

"But  you  may  change,"  Jessie  said,  suddenly. 

And  just  then  it  seemed  quite  impossible  that  one  so 
young  and  inexperienced,  exposed  to  the  temptations  and 
fascinations  of  society,  could  remain  true  of  heart  and 
purpose. 

"  You  do  not  know  me  at  all  if  you  think  that,  Jessie. 
If  we  had  all  gone  on  the  same  as  before,  I  might  not 
have  spoken  yet  a  while ;  indeed,  I  never  felt  how  near 
Madge  was  to  me  until  the  misfortunes  came.  And  then 
I  resolved  that  I  would  find  you  during  vacation  and  tell 
my  story.  There  are  long  years  of  waiting  before  ua 
both,  Jessie ;  but  will  you  not  let  me  be  a  brother  to  you 
in  the  meanwhile,  and  prove  myself  worthy  of  a  place  in 
your  dear  household  ?  " 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  99 

No  one  could  distrust  that  noble  and  ingenuous  face ; 
and  somehow  his  simple  devotion  almost  brought  the  tears 
to  Jessie's  eyes. 

"  It  is  not  for  me  to  decide  altogether ; "  and  she  smiled 
faintly.  "Papa,  mamma,  and  your  own  mother." 

"  I  met  Madge  so  entirely  by  accident  yesterday  that  I 
ipoke  in  an  unguarded  moment.  I  have  explained  to  her 
that  I  shall  see  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, and  plead  my  case.  I  think  they  will  not  prove  severe 
in  their  decision." 

"  I  fancy  that  —  your  mother  —  will  not  like  it." 

Jessie  spoke  with  painful  hesitation.  She  remembered 
too  well  the  cool  recognitions  which  Mrs.  Westlake  had 
bestowed  upon  her. 

Madge  started  forward.  Until  this  moment  she  had 
never  considered  Mrs.  Westlake. 

"  I  think  mother  will  consent  to  whatever  is  important 
for  my  happiness  —  as  this  will  be.  Of  course,  the  fortune 
being  in  my  mother's  right,  I  really  have  no  claim  upon  it, 
you  know ;  so  I  mean  to  work  day  and  night  until  I  am  in 
a  position  to  care  for  a  wife,"  he  said,  proudly.  "Do  not 
anticipate  trouble  so  far  off;"  and  he  tried  to  laugh  lightly. 

He  knew  still  better  than  Jessie  that  there  would  be 
long  and  bitter  opposition  from  this  source.  He  had  come 
home  to  find  the  Ashburtons  dropped  completely  from  his 
mother's  list.  The  kind  little  messages  which  he  had  sent 
so  often  had  never  been  delivered,  and  while  he  had  been 
pleasing  himself  with  various  fond  fancies,  his  mother 
believed  that  she  had  made  herself  understood  with  the 
Ashburtons.  They  had  too  much  pride  and  delicacy  to 
welcome  him  with  the  olden  warmth  when  she  had  put 
such  a  distance  between  them. 

The  subject  had  not  been  a  happy  one  between  mother 
and  son,  yet  she  trusted  to  time  to  eradicate  the  boyish 
penchant.  And  here  was  his  cousin  May,  an  heiress,  ready 
to  be  won  in  a  year  or  two.  It  would  be  folly  to  throw 
one's  self  away  in  so  foolish  a  fashion. 


100  HOME  NOOK,   OR 

After  the  first  warm  talk  about  the  Ashburtons,  she 
had  preserved  a  discreet  silence,  but  been  none  the  less 
watchful.  That  danger  should  come  to  him  in  such  an 
unexpected  moment  she  could  hardly  foresee. 

And  when  he  found  in  a  five  minutes'  talk  with  Madge 
that  the  spirit  of  her  family  had  been  entirely  misrepre- 
sented, his  indignation  brought  about  the  climax  that  hia 
mother  had  striven  to  avoid,  well  knowing  her  son's  frank 
»nd  chivalrous  disposition.  And  so  it  had  all  been  done 
—  whether  for  weal  or  woe  the  future  alone  could  tell. 

Madge  felt  very  proud  of  her  young  lover  as  he  thus 
stated  his  determination.  Being  rather  given  to  hasty 
romance,  she  looked  forward  to  a  little  opposition  at  first ; 
but  they  by  their  courage  and  devotion  would  soon  over- 
come this.  She  believed  in  her  heart  that  Mrs.  Westlake 
really  loved  her;  for  what  else  had  all  the  past  petting  and 
fondness  meant  ?  And  then,  because  they  were  poor,  the 
fact  did  not  imply  that  they  were  to  sink  into  common- 
place and  vulgarity. 

Jessie  was  less  hopeful.  It  seemed  to  her  almost  like 
a  new  trouble  coming,  before  the  past  was  well  settled. 
Would  mamma  approve  ?  " 

"  Come,  thoughtful  Jessie,"  Charlie  said,  gayly,  "I  am 
not  going  to  have  you  look  so  sober  over  it.  If  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ashburton  decide  that  Madge  and  I  must  be  friends 
merely  for  the  next  three  years,  I  shall  not  demur.  I  love 
her  and  hers  too  well  to  add  any  burden  of  care  or  per- 
plexity to  them." 

Somehow  she  could  not  help  liking  and  trusting  him  aa 
always  before. 

The  entrance  of  Philip  at  this  juncture  was  a  relief 
to  all. 

"My  dear  friend,"  he  exclaimed,  grasping  Charlie'g 
hand,  "  I  am  delighted  to  see  you.  So  you  have  not  for 
gotten  old  companions  ?  " 

"Not  I.  There  are  too  many  pleasant  memories  be 
tween  us,  Phil ;"  and  Charlie  colored  in  spite  of  himseltl 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  101 

"  The  girls  have  had  you  so  long  that  I  mean  to  take 
possession  now.  I  want  to  hear  how  you  came  through 
—  though  I  suppose  it  was  with  flying  colors." 

"  About  old  Harvard !  It  was  a  fine  Commencement. 
I  couldn't  help  almost  envying  some  of  the  fellows ;  but  I 
shall  climb  to  their  height  before  another  year  ends. 
Dear  Phil,  it  is  too  bad  to  have  you  out  of  the  ranks" 

"  Only  for  a  while,  I  hope.  I  think  it  will  all  come 
round  right  by  and  by.  Perhaps  I  shall  learn  some  good 
lesson  by  the  waiting." 

Leaving  the  two  friends  to  talk  over  college  times, 
Madge  and  Jessie  went  to  prepare  a  simple  supper. 
Madge's  silence  and  restraint  had  ended.  She  could  talk 
quite  freely  now,  and  yet  her  new-found  happiness  was  so 
strange  and  sweet  a  thing  that  she  stood  almost  in  awe 
of  it. 

Jessie  had  no  heart  to  chide  or  express  the  dim  fore- 
bodings that  would  shadow  her  soul,  even  though  tem- 
pered by  hope.  And  then  the  meal  was  like  a  gala 
episode. 

One  thing  gave  her  a  great  deal  of  comfort  —  Philip's 
first  announcement  had  been  about  papa. 

"He  stood  the  journey  splendidly,  and  really  had  quite 
an  appetite  for  his  supper.  In  spite  of  being  tired,  there 
was  a  bright  look  about  his  eyes  this  morning,  and  mamma 
is  very  much  encouraged.  The  place  will  be  delightful 
for  them.  I  feel  as  if  we  could  never  be  grateful  enough 
to  Dr.  Conway  for  interesting  himself  so  much." 

"  If  he  only  could  get  well ! " 

"I  think  he  will  now.  He  may  never  be  so  strong 
again,  but  we  will  hope  for  the  best." 

That  left  the  girls  quite  light-hearted.  The  meal  was 
the  gayest  one  they  had  known  in  a  long  while. 

And  some  way  Charlie  managed  to  whisper  that  he 
should  see  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  before  long,  and  ex- 
plain the  whole  matter  to  them,  which  pleased  Jessie  very 
much. 


102  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Philip  was  more  than  amazed  when  the  secret  was  con 
fided  to  him,  and  very  incredulous. 

"Fancy  my  falling  in  love !"  he  said,  with  a  laugh. 

"  But  Charlie  only  lacks  a  week  or  two  of  being  twenty." 

"Madge,"  began  Phil,  with  a  touch  of  earnestness, 
M  there  is  a  great  deal  of  this  work  going  in  the  world. 
Voung  men  often  look  upon  it  as  harmless  flirting,  and 
trhen  they  are  ready  to  marry,  break  their  word  easily 
enough.  Then,  if  the  girl  is  made  of  finer  and  truer 
material,  she  has  to  suffer  long  and  keenly." 

"  I  wish  you  or  Jessie  would  have  some  faith  in  Charlie ; " 
and  the  tears  stood  in  Madge's  eyes. 

u  My  dear  little  sister,  I  am  thinking  of  your  welfare. 
Life  is  likely  to  be  hard  enough  with  us,  and  we  do  not 
need  to  take  up  useless  burdens.  I  am  sorry  it  has  hap- 
pened, but  I  think  mamma's  clear  and  tender  eyes  will  see 
the  path  that  is  likely  to  have  the  fewest  thorns  in  it." 

Madge  cried  herself  to  sleep  that  night.  Her  faith  in 
Charlie  Westlake  was  perfect,  aud  it  made  her  miserable 
to  have  the  others  misjudge  him. 

They  had  a  very  quiet  household,  Philip  being  away  all 
day.  By  tacit  consent,  Madge's  affairs  were  dropped  for 
the  present.  The  two  girls  were  busy,  dt  first,  putting  the 
house  in  order,  and  then  came  a  rather  lonesome  time. 
Jessie  decided  that  the  days  would  be  nice  and  long  for 
sewing,  and  began  to  furbish  up  some  dresses  for  the 
coming  autumn,  amusing  Madge  by  repeating  old  Mrs. 
Deane's  advice. 

"  You  certainly  have  a  genius  for  dress-making,  Je&sie, 
and  it  may  prove  a  fortunate  thing  for  us  all.  I  wish  I 
knew  what  my  heritage  was.  I've  been  thinking  over 
what  Nelly  said  about  music.  Teaching  it  is  genteel, 
though  I  don't  like  the  word.  One  could  do  that,  and  still 
spend  a  good  deal  of  time  at  home.  I  believe  I  shall  take 
mine  up  again  in  good  earnest,  though  I  am  afraid  that  I 
shall  never  prove  a  brilliant  success." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  103 

The  fear  was  not  unfounded.  While  Madge  possessed 
a  clear,  bird-like  voice  and  a  passionate  regard  for  music, 
she  had  very  little  patience  with  the  troublesome  details. 
She  was  always  adding  a  grace-note  in  the  place  of  some- 
thing she  could  not  remember  upon  the  instant,  or  her 
time  was  not  quite  correct.  Perhaps  she  never  tried  in 
good  earnest  to  overcome  her  waywardness  in  this  respect. 

Now  she  resolved  to  practise  regularly,  and  it  must  be 
confessed  kept  strictly  to  her  word,  though  she  found  it 
an  immense  hardship.  Jessie  smiled  to  herself  over  the 
persistency. 

"Though  I  believe  I  would  rather  wash  dishes  and 
sweep  the  house,"  said  Madge,  laughingly.  "  A  depraved 
taste,  I  am  ready  to  admit." 

The  letters  from  mamma  were  full  of  encouragement. 
Mr.  Ashburton  improved  daily,  began  to  take  short  walks, 
and  could  drive  without  being  dependent  on  others.  Mrs. 
Ashburton  hailed  all  these  promises  of  amendment  with 
the  most  devout  gratitude. 

One  day  a  thick  packet  came  for  Madge.  She  had  re- 
ceived one  or  two  brief  notes  from  Charlie  Westlake, 
detailing  his  movements,  as  his  mother  had  decided  upon 
a  somewhat  extended  summer  tour.  He  would  have 
given  much  for  a  few  lines  in  return,  but  he  had  said  that 
he  would  not  ask  the  slightest  favor  until  he  had  found  an 
opportunity  to  explain  all  to  her  mother. 

The  warm  blood  mantled  Madge's  face  as  she  read. 
Charlie  Westlake  had  paid  them  a  visit,  taking  them  very 
much  by  surprise.  Of  course  they  were  delighted  to  see 
him,  and  to  hear  from  him  a  glowing  description  of  the 
small  tea-party  which  he  appeared  to  have  enjoyed  so  much, 
although  Madge  had  furnished  them  with  an  account  also. 

And  then  came  the  important  confession  that  he  was  to 
make  for  both.  He  had  stated  the  case  very  frankly, 
admitting  that  in  the  beginning  he  might  expect  some 
opposition  from  his  mother.  He  had  pleaded  his  cause  so 


104  HOME   NOOK,   OE 

eloquently  that  Mr.  Ashburton,  with  whom  he  was  a 
great  favorite,  felt  inclined  to  listen,  though  he  could  not 
promise  much  for  the  present.  Finally,  it  was  decided 
that  if  in  the  course  of  the  next  year  his  feelings  should 
not  have  changed,  they  would  take  the  engagement  into 
consideration. 

And  then  followed  the  tender  counsel  and  loving  care 
such  as  a  mother  only  can  give.  She  could  not  help  but 
regret  that  this  knowledge  had  come  so  early  to  Madge ; 
yet  there  might  be  some  hidden  grace  in  it  that  their  eyes 
were  slow  to  perceive.  Her  darling  must  not  be  hasty  or 
imprudent,  and  try  daily  to  fit  herself  for  any  sphere  of 
life  in  which  her  duty  seemed  to  be  most  apparent. 

**  Dear  mamma  ! "  Madge  said  with  tearful  eyes.  "  Was 
ever  anybody  so  sweet,  and  wise,  and  good?  Why,  I 
don't  feel  a  bit  disappointed,  and  it's  nothing  to  bear,  since 
she  has  faith  in  Charlie.  Why,  I  could  wait  seven  years, 
I  know,  and  be  happy  all  the  while,  with  her  to  comfort 
me." 

Philip  looked  a  little  grave  over  the  decision,  but  made 
no  comment. 

Eleanor  wrote  regularly  to  mamma,  but  less  frequently 
to  the  girls.  She  seemed  to  be  enjoying  herself  very  well, 
and  announced  that  aunt  Waltham  had  accepted  an  invi- 
tation for  a  fortnight  in  Boston ;  so  she  would  not  be 
home  before  the  middle  of  September. 

Jessie  made  up  her  household  accounts  in  great  triumph 
the  last  of  August.  For  two  months  there  had  been  a 
noticeable  decrease  in  expenses.  But  then  the  little  hoard 
had  been  drawn  upon  pretty  severely  already.  Philip  had 
insisted  on  Eleanor  being  provided  with  enough  to  render 
herself  tolerably  independent  in  case  of  an  emergency, 
and  with  all  the  demand,  there  were  but  four  hundred  dol- 
lars left. 

"  Our  coal  is  in,"  said  Jessie,  hopefully,  "  and  some  pro- 
visions for  winter.  Then  there  are  no  debts,  and  we  have 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  105 

enough  for  our  little  trip."  For  Philip  had  a  week's  holi- 
day, and  proposed  to  take  the  girls  up  to  the  Catskills 
when  he  went  after  their  parents. 

Two  months  had  been  a  long  separation.  Only  the 
urgency  of  the  case,  or  rather,  as  Jessie  felt,  their  poverty, 
could  have  so  prolonged  the  absence.  She  was  learning 
many  grave  lessons  that  were  to  stand  her  in  good  stead 
during  some  dark  days  yet  to  come. 

The  tour  was  delightful  beyond  description,  for  the  two 
girls  had  never  travelled  very  far  from  Home  Nook.  And 
then  to  be  pressed  to  mamma's  heart,  to  see  papa  looking 
much  improved,  if  not  quite  like  his  olden  self,  and  to 
feel  that  the  fond  family  circle  was  united  once  more, 
though  two  dear  faces  were  missed ! 

"  God  has  been  very  good  to  us,"  Mrs.  Ash  burton  said, 
as  she  stood  in  the  twilight  with  the  children.  "Do  we 
indeed  realize  what  a  friend  we  have  in  him  ?  " 

Jessie  met  her  mother's  eyes  with  a  sweet  smile. 

Madge  was  thoughtful  a  moment,  then  said,  with  a 
bright  flush,  "  I  begin  to  think  poverty  quite  endurable, 
mamma.  I  wonder  if  brave  and  noble  deeds  are  not  made 
more  plain  by  it." 


106  HOME    NOOK,  OB 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ELEANOB. 

were  very  glad  to  be  at  home  once  more,  but  life 
was  to  be  taken  up  in  earnest.  The  sweet  holiday  of 
youth  had  ended  for  them  all. 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  ought  to  be  learning  to  do  something 
useful,"  Madge  said,  impatiently. 

"You  must  go  to  school  regularly  for  the  next  year," 
her  mother  answered.  "If  it  should  be  necessary  for  you 
to  help  by  and  by,  you  might  become  a  teacher." 

"Mamma,  I  never  did  and  never  can  like  that.  I  be- 
lieve I  should  go  crazy.  I  love  children  in  a  certain  way, 
but  I  would  rather  dress  and  amuse,  and  perhaps  take  care 
of  them,  than  to  teach  them.  That  will  always  be  my 
abomination." 

"  But  it  is  necessary  to  know  a  little  more  for  yourself,  if 
you  are  never  called  upon  to  impart  it.  You  are  hardly 
sixteen,  and  not  as  far  advanced  as  Jessie.  She  proposes 
to  study  at  home,  and  I  think  she  will  keep  pace  with 
you." 

So  Madge  made  her  entree  at  school  quite  different  from 
the  select  classes  at  the  Riverside  Seminary.  But  Madge 
was  democratic  and  social,  and  soon  became  a  great  favor- 
ite with  the  girls. 

The  grief  of  the  absent  Clement  at  the  loss  of  Home 
Nook  had  been  deep  indeed.  He  could  not  understand 
why  this  sorrow  should  come  upon  them  at  a  time  wheu 
they  appeared  so  peculiarly  helpless. 

UI  would  propose  an  immediate  return,"  he  wrote,  "if 
[  could  pee  that  it  would  be  for  the  best.  If  I  should 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  107 

have  my  health,  prosperity  is  quite  certain.  In  eight  or 
ten  years  I  may  make  a  fortune,  —  at  least,  enough  to  buy 
back  Home  Nook,  —  and  render  the  remainder  of  life  com' 
fortable  to  you  and  my  dear  father.  At  home  I  should 
have  to  run  the  risk  of  getting  established  to  my  liking, 
and  it  would  be  at  considerable  present  loss.  In  the 
mean  while,  remember  that  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  as- 
aist ;  and  do  not  therefore  keep  me  in  ignorance  of  any 
want.  But  I  shall  never  rest  until  Home  Nook  is  ours 
once  more." 

"  Dear  Clement ! "  Philip  said,  in  a  voice  touched  with 
emotion.  "  He  will  do  so  much,  while  I  seem  quite  help- 
less." 

"No," returned  Jessie;  "if  you  take  care  of  us  now,  it 
lifts  that  much  of  the  burden  from  him." 

Philip  sighed.  The  reality  was  so  different  from  one's 
dreams !  and  though  it  was  possible  for  ant-hills  and  coral 
islands  to  be  built  grain  by  grain,  a  fortune  was  much 
more  difficult  to  achieve. 

September  had  nearly  waned  when  Eleanor  returned. 
She  took  them  somewhat  by  surprise  one  pleasant  after- 
noon. Jessie  started  back  in  amaze  as  she  answered  the 
door-bell.  There  stood  Nelly  and  aunt  Waltham. 

"O,  Nelly!" 

The  stately  girl  bent  down  and  kissed  her  fair  sister. 

"  My  dear  Jessie,"  exclaimed  aunt  Waltham  graciously. 
"  Are  you  all  well  ?  Why,  you  look  as  fresh  and  bright 
as  a  daisy." 

Jessie  ushered  them  into  the  simple  parlor,  and  Mr.  Ash- 
burton  clasped  his  long-absent  daughter  to  his  heart. 

"  Why,  how  much  you  have  improved ! "  said  Mrs. 
Waltham,  glancing  at  her  brother,  while  she  clasped  her 
sister-in-law's  hand  with  great  cordiality. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so ; "  and  a  flush  of  pleasure 
crossed  his  delicate  face. 

"I  suppose  you  were  hardly  expecting  us  in  this  uncere 


108  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

monious  manner.  We  reached  New  York  this  morning, 
but  I  had  some  business  on  hand  which  required  my  im- 
mediate attention,  and  then  I  thought  you  would  hardly 
need  word  to  prepare  yourselves.  Nelly  is  looking  won- 
derfully well — is  she  not?" 

Aunt  Waltham  uttered  this  in  a  rapid  breath,  and  sank 
down  on  the  sofa  in  a  flutter  of  lace  and  ribbons. 

Eleanor  colored  under  the  scrutiny.  One  fond  heart 
noted  the  change  with  a  pang.  She  did  look  well,  and 
there  was  not  only  a  peculiar  brightness  about  her,  but 
something  else  as  well.  The  simple,  noble  Eleanor  had 
merged  into  a  fashionable  woman.  There  was  a  style  and 
grace  in  every  motion,  a  peculiar  turn  of  the  head,  a  soft 
accent  of  voice,  and  a  power  in  the  eyes,  a  kind  of  fire 
hardly  veiled  under  the  languor.  What  had  worked  this 
change  —  contact  with  the  world  alone,  or  had  it  some 
subtle,  underlying  chord  ? 

"Of  course  you  will  stay,"  said  Jessie,  with  a  half- 
nervous  laugh.  "Mamma,  how  negligent  we  are!  The 
thought  of  our  visitors  has  quite  overwhelmed  us  !  Come 
up  stairs  and  take  off  your  bonnet,  aunt  Waltham  — 
Nelly." 

"  If  you  take  mine,  Jessie,  I  shall  be  obliged.  We  shall 
favor  you  with  our  company  at  supper,  but  you  must  know 
that  Nelly  and  I  have  set  up  housekeeping  on  our  own  ac- 
count. We  went  to  see  a  house  this  morning,  and  liked 
it  so  well  that  we  have  decided  upon  keeping  it  for  the 
present." 

Eleanor  and  Jessie  went  up  to  the  chamber  they  had 
once  said  should  be  hers.  Jessie  stood  a  little  in  awe  of 
ter  elegant  sister. 

"It  seems  as  if  you  had  grown  taller,"  she  said,  merely 
to  break  the  awkward  pause.  "And  —  did  you  have  a 
nice  time  ?  " 

"  O,  delightful !  Aunt  Waltham  has  been  most  kind  and 
generous." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DITTY.  109 

"But  about  the  house — " 

"  Aunt  Waltham  insisted  upon  it.  A  furnished  house 
on  Fifth  Avenue,  belonging  to  some  friends  of  hers  who 
have  gone  to  Europe  to-day,  and  they  were  anxious  that 
she  should  take  it." 

"  How  very  grand  you  will  be  1 " 

"Aunt  Waltham  thinks  it  better  under  the  circum- 
stances— " 

Eleanor  paused  and  flushed. 

"I  shall  be  glad  for  you  to  have  any  happiness  v 
pleasure,"  said  the  sweet,  tremulous  voice. 

Eleanor  took  off  her  stylish  hat,  with  its  long  scarlet 
plume,  and  pulled  out  the  glossy  waves  of  her  dark  huir. 
There  had  been  a  time  when  she  would  have  frowned  on  a 
proposal  to  call  in  the  hair-dresser's  art.  But  she  had 
resigned  herself  to  the  hands  of  Pauline,  her  aunt's 
French  maid. 

"  So  you  think  papa  quite  recovered?"  she  said,  rather 
absently.  «  And  Philip  —  " 

"  He  will  be  delighted  to  see  you.  Yes,  the  air  at  Cats- 
kill  seemed  to  work  wonders  with  papa.  We  can  never 
be  sufficiently  thankful." 

"  Still,  I  do  not  suppose  he  will  ever  be  well  enough  to 
go  into  business  again.  And  it  will  be  so  hard  to  make 
another  start.  What  does  Clement  say  ?" 

Clement's  letter  was  in  mamma's  "  box  of  treasures." 
Jessie  brought  it  for  Eleanor's  perusal. 

"  O,  if  he  can  be  successful !  If  we  ever  should  hav« 
Home  Nook  back  again  1 " 

"I  hope  so  for  papa's  sake ;"  and  Jessie's  lip  quivered. 

"  I  hope  so  for  all  our  sakes.  You  can  hardly  realize 
the  difference  it  would  make.  When  you  and  Madge 
grow  into  womanhood  —  " 

"I  do  not  think  of  that,"  returned  Jessie,  slowly. 

**  The  world  will  force  you  to,  then.  It  makes  a  wider 
difference  than  you  are  aware  of,  Jessie.  And  unless  one 


110  HOME  NOOK,   OR 

is  quite  willing  to  relinquish  all,  there  must  be  many 
trials." 

"  We  shall  see  so  little  of  the  world !" 

Eleanor  sighed.  Jessie's  fancies  were  ever  a  little 
wild.  She  had  come  to  such  plain,  practical  views,  she 
thought. 

Down  stairs  the  conversation  progressed  rapidly. 

"A  house  ! "  Mr.  Ashburton  had  said.  "  What  fancy  it 
this?" 

"  I  have  taken  a  furnished  house  for  a  few  months,"  Mrs. 
Waltham  answered.  "  The  exigencies  of  the  case  seemed 
to  demand  it." 

"  If  you  mean  that  Eleanor  ought  to  have  a  better  home 
than  this,"  began  Mr.  Ashburton,  much  excited,  when  his 
sister  interrupted  him  with,  — 

"My  dear  brother,  pray  be  calm.  I  have  some  explana- 
tions to  make  that  will  place  the  matter  in  a  proper  light. 
I  should  have  written  to  you,  but  one  can  never  do  justice 
to  such  a  subject  in  a  brief  letter.  In  short,  Eleanor  ia 
engaged,  and  I  have  resolved  to  do  handsomely  by  the 
dear  girl.  I  knew  you  would  hardly  want  the  excitement 
of  a  marriage  here,  and  I  have  determined  to  take  upon 
myself  the  attendant  expenses.  Indeed,  you  shall  not  say 
a  word  —  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  me,  I  assure  you." 

Mrs.  Waltham  uttered  this  in  a  rapid  breath. 

"Engaged!"  echoed  Mrs.  Ashburton,  in  consternation. 

"Why,  is  there  anything  so  remarkable  in  that?  El- 
eanor is  a  handsome  and  attractive  girl,  and  quite  old 
enough  to  marry." 

"I  must  see  the  man  who  thus  lays  claim  to  my 
daughter's  hand,"  said  Mr.  Ashburton,  almost  sharply. 

"O,  you  will  see  him,  of  course.  He  is  quite  anxious 
to  ask  consent,  and  all  that.  I  told  Eleanor  that  I  would 
smooth  the  way  for  them  both.  Why,  you  must  remem- 
ber the  Copelands  ?  An  uncle  of  this  Gerald  Copeland 
njed  to  be  in  some  importing  house.  His  parents  are 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  Ill 

dead,  but  he  inherited  quite  a  large  fortune  from  them. 
It  is  a  very  nice  match,  I  am  sure,  though  Eleanor  might 
easily  have  married  a  richer  man." 

"I  must  see  him  before  I  can  decide.  I,  for  one,  am  not 
ready  to  barter  away  my  children." 

"My  dear  brother,  what  a  foolish  fancy!  When  two 
young  people  have  fallen  in  love  with  each  other,  and 
there  is  nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  to  be  said  against  th« 
gentleman,  it  will  not  take  long  to  decide.  Use  your  bot 
ter  judgment,  I  beg  of  you.  Here  you  are,  still  a  long 
way  from  perfect  health,  with  two  more  girls  on  your 
hands,  and  Philip  barely  able  to  keep  the  house  going  1 
Girls  do  get  married  sooner  or  later,  and  you  ought  to  be 
thankful  to  have  her  so  well  settled.  I  call  it  a  very 
fortunate  opportunity." 

"I  must  have  a  talk  with  Eleanor." 

"  She  is  quite  anxious,  dear  girl.  She  has  been  very 
charming  this  summer.  But  I  always  did  say  that 
Eleanor  was  the  flower  of  the  family ;  and  I  am  delighted 
that  it  is  in  my  power  to  do  so  well  for  her.  The  Win- 
throps  fairly  besieged  me  to  take  their  house,  for  they  dis- 
like leaving  it  alone.  Everything  seemed  to  happen  so 
nicely !" 

Mrs.  Waltham  appeared  to  be  in  a  glow  of  delight. 
Her  very  amiability  roused  Mrs.  Ashburton  to  something 
like  distrust.  Rising,  she  excused  herself  for  a  few  mo- 
ments. 

Could  it  be  true  ?  She  went  slowly  up  stairs,  her  heart 
in  a  strange  tumult.  How  fast  these  events  came  upon 
uer ! 

"Jessie,"  she  said,  quietly,  " since  you  are  housekeeper 
will  you  see  if  anything  is  needed,  and  send  Madge  for  it 
when  she  conies  home?" 

Jessie  obeyed  the  behest. 

"My  darling  child!"  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  clasped  hel 
daughter  to  her  heart.  "  Is  it  true  —  your  aunt's  story  ?" 


112  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

"  About  my  —  my  engagement  ?  " 

Although  Eleanor  hesitated,  her  voice  was  clear  and  un 
trembling,  too  steady  for  a  girl  in  her  first  love-dream. 

"My  child,  I  ought  not  to  have  trusted  you  this  whole 
summer  with  aunt  Waltham.  Her  powers  of  persuasion 
are  strong ;  her  habits  of  looking  at  the  world  with  most 
worldly  eyes,  and  her  sophistries  are  very  dangerous  to  * 
young  and  inexperienced  mind.  As  you  know  well,  shb 
places  the  fact  of  what  is  called  a  good  marriage  far  above 
esteem  and  confidence,  and  that  noble  truth,  as  well  as 
trust,  which  should  be  the  basis  of  all  such  agreements." 

"  Mamma,"  Eleanor  said,  almost  haughtily,  "  if  I  had  not 
admired  Gerald  Copeland,  I  should  not  have  allowed  him 
the  opportunity  of  speaking.  I  cannot  see  that  the  fact 
of  his  having  some  wealth  should  go  against  him.  If  we 
were  back  in  the  old  place,  we  would  hardly  suspect  an 
honorable  young  man  of  marrying  me  simply  for  a  possi- 
ble fortune ;  and  have  you  not  equal  confidence  in  your 
own  child  ?  " 

"  I  should  have  all  confidence  in  you,  Nelly,  if  I  were 
convinced  that  you  were  following  the  dictates  of  your 
heart." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  tried  to  read  her  daughter's  eyes,  but 
they  were  studiously  averted. 

"  I  never  was  an  eager,  romantic  girl,  as  you  well  know. 
I  am  nearly  twenty-one,  and  have  not  yet  fallen  in  love,  as 
the  phrase  goes.  I  have  never  met  any  man  in  whom  I 
have  become  as  deeply  interested  as  Gerald  Copeland. 
He  is  tender,  chivalrous,  delicate,  and  loves  me  truly.  I 
told  him  the  truth,  —  that  we  had  lost  our  fortune  and 
were  poor,  —  and  if  I  had  cared  little  for  him  before,  hii 
devotion  then  must  have  won  me.  When  ycu  see  him, 
you  will  be  able  to  judge  better." 

While  uttering  the  latter  part  of  the  sentence,  Eleanor's 
voice  had  deepened  to  a  certain  enthusiasm,  and  a  flush 
warmed  her  cheek. 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  113 

"My  child,  do  you  love  him?  Answer  me  that  one 
question.  For  to  marry  without  the  highest  and  truest 
regard  is  a  deep  and  deadly  sin  against  one's  soul.  For- 
tunes may  fail,  sickness  and  trouble  may  come  and  think 
how  bitter  the  burden  must  be  without  love,  which  makes 
the  grace  of  patience  and  sacrifice." 

"  I  think  it  would  be  my  nature  to  care  much  more  foi 
my  husband  than  my  lover,"  said  Eleanor,  steadily. 

"  And  then  are  your  tastes  and  beliefs,  your  thoughts 
and  habits,  likely  to  correspond  ?  How  can  you  judge  in 
this  brief  while  ?  " 

"We  have  seen  a  good  deal  of  each  other;  and  then 
Gerald  seemed  to  take  aunt  Waltham  into  his  confidence 
immediately." 

Or,  had  she  attracted  him  ?  Mrs.  Ashburton  had 
always  held  her  sister-in-law's  manoeuvring  in  extreme 
distrust. 

"  When  did  you  first  meet  him  ?  " 

« In  July." 

Eleanor  was  a  little  ashamed  to  say  —  the  very  last  of 
the  month. 

"Hardly  three  months.  What  can  you  know  of  his 
principles,  whether  he  is  to  be  trusted  with  so  sacred  a 
thing  as  a  woman's  life  ?  " 

"He  came  well  recommended.  O  mamma!"  she  went 
on  with  sudden  earnestness,  clasping  her  slender  hands, 
"  our  old,  quiet  life  gave  us  small  knowledge  of  the  world. 
Why,  there  were  girls  who  envied  me  every  look,  every 
attention,  who  used  their  arts  and  fascinations  —  and  you 
can  hardly  believe  how  current,  and  almost  necessary 
these  are  in  society  —  to  win  him  from  my  side.  Can  you 
not  be  sure  that  I  held  myself  above  so  degrading  a  strife  ? 
He  came  to  me  in  the  face  of  all  this,  sought  me  out,  loved 
mo,  and  why  should  I  not  make  some  return  ?  Is  it  so 
poor  a  thing  to  have  a  man's  heart  laid  at  your  feet  ?  " 

She  looked  so  beautiful,  so  purely  proud,  that  hei 
8 


114  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

mother  could  not  help  admitting  the  force  of  her  attrao 
tions. 

"  If,  when  you  see  him,  you  still  doubt  his  affection,  01 
are  unwilling  to  trust  him,  and  I  should  feel  convinced 
that  my  marriage  would  make  you  unhappy,  I  will  relin- 
quish it;  though  Heaven  knows  that  our  future  looki 
bleak  enough ! " 

Eleanor  shivered,  as  if  a  wintry  blast  had  passed  over 
her,  in  anticipation. 

"My  darling,  your  happiness  is  all  that  any  of  us  can 
desire." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  turned  away  to  hide  her  tears.  She 
began  to  realize  how  far  her  child  had  been  estranged 
from  her.  Only  a  year  ago,  their  thoughts  and  tastes  had 
been  in  unison,  though  Eleanor's  was  not  a  demonstrative 
nature.  Yet  how  many  hours  of  sweet  and  unalloyed 
happiness  they  had  shared  during  their  pleasant  tour  of 
the  summer  before  !  Now  there  was  an  impassable  barrier, 
something  more  subtile  than  mere  coldness. 

"Aunt  Waltham  will  wonder  what  has  become  of  us," 
said  Eleanor.  "  And  papa  will  fancy  that  we  are  hatching 
a  conspiracy." 

"  And  I  must  see  to  my  little  housekeeper." 

There  was  no  lingering  word  of  tenderness  between 
them,  no  clasp  of  the  hand  or  fond  glance  of  the  eye. 
Eleanor  turned  in  her  stately  fashion,  and  Mrs.  Ashburton 
felt  positively  awed  by  this  queenly  daughter. 

Mrs.  Waltham  meanwhile  had  taken  the  opportunity  of 
having  a  good  plain  talk,  as  she  termed  it,  with  her  broth- 
er. She  had  made  him  feel  his  helplessness,  the  injury  he 
had  worked  his  family,  and  his  utter  inability  to  make  any 
restoration.  Not  that  she  had  been  sharp  or  cross  :  there 
is  a  far  more  effective  manner  of  carrying  weight,  of  bruis- 
ing the  wounded  heart  into  silence.  Then  she  portrayed 
the  advantage  of  this  connection  for  Eleanor. 

"  The  child  is  too  shrinking  and  sensitive  to  brave  the 


THE  CKOWN  OP  DUTY.  115 

ills  of  poverty.  They  would  wear  upon  her  health  and 
spirits  until  she  sank  into  a  decline;  and  then  you  'would 
have  another  helpless,  nervous  invalid  on  your  hands.  I 
love  her  too  well  to  see  her  wasting  her  young  life  in  vain ; 
and  since  this  fortunate  chance  has  come  to  her,  it  would 
be  folly  to  allow  it  to  go  by  unimproved." 

There  are  many  times  in  life  when  one  yields  without 
being  convinced.  Mr.  Ashburton  felt  that  he  could  make 
no  headway  against  his  sister's  rapid  arguments.  They 
spoke  to  each  other  in  unknown  tongues,  as  it  were.  He 
had  not  the  strength  to  combat  her  worldly  beliefs  and 
prejudices,  and  so  she  imagined  that  she  had  conquered 
him,  and  was  glowing  and  gracious. 

The  little  supper  might  have  been  pronounced  a  success 
in  truth.  Jessie  and  her  mother  had  made  the  best  of 
their  small  means,  and  Madge  cut  the  last  of  her  darling 
flowers  for  bouquets. 

I  am  not  sure  but  that  aunt  Waltham's  good  humor 
inspired  them  alL  She  praised  Jessie,  and  listened  with 
flattering  attention  to  the  details  of  housekeeping,  and 
even  had  no  fault  to  find  with  Madge,  which  was  a 
wonder. 

Philip  came  in  just  before  their  departure.  Aunt  Wal- 
tham  laughingly  told  him  that  she  had  laid  claim  to 
Eleanor,  and  that  he  must  come  and  spend  his  first  leisure 
evening  with  them. 

"  After  we  are  settled,  and  rested  up  a  little,  you  will 
see  us  frequently,"  she  said. 

They  kissed  Eleanor  a  fond  good  night,  and  saw  he* 
atep  into  the  waiting  carriage. 

**  What  is  the  meaning  of  it  all  ?  "  asked  Philip,  in  sur- 
prise. "And  how  Nelly  has  changed  !" 

"  Pm  sure  she  is  handsomer  than  ever,"  declared  impul- 
sive Madge. 

"  Yes  —  but  —  I  don't  know  whether  you  noticed  only 
it  seems  to  me  that  the  old  home  look  has  gone  out  of  hef 


116  HOME   NOOK,    OB 

face.  She  is  proud  and  elegant,  and  has  the  air  of  a 
queen.  Perhaps  it  is  the  polish  of  society.  But  what  aie 
they  doing?  Has  aunt  Waltham  set  up  an  establish- 
ment on  her  own  account  ?  " 

"Come  out  and  have  some  supper,"  said  his  mother, 
"and  I  will  tell  you.  We  had  ours  early  on  their  ao 
count." 

She  paused  a  moment  by  the  side  of  the  lounge  on 
which  Mr.  Ashburton  was  lying,  and  smoothed  the  thin 
hair  from  his  pule  forehead. 

"I  can  spare  you  while  I  rest,"  he  whispered.  "We 
will  have  our  talk  afterwards." 

The  three  younger  ones  listened  in  astonishment.  Mrs. 
Ashburton  hardly  knew  whether  it  was  wise  to  confide  in 
them  thus  early,  and  yet  they  must  soon  know  the  whole 
story. 

"  And  so  aunt  Waltham  means  to  marry  Nelly  in  her 
own  fashion,  after  the  manner  of  society !  Our  Nelly, 
who  used  to  be  so  sternly  upright  and  honest !  I  used  to 
think  her  like  the  pictures  of  some  of  the  old  saints,  as 
pure  and  unswerving.  Must  it  be,  mother  ?" 

"My  dear  Philip,  there  may  be  another  side  to  the 
story.  It  is  hardly  fair  to  prejudge  this  Mr.  Copeland,  and 
it  is  possible  that  Eleanor  may  be  strongly  attracted 
towards  him.  I  hardly  believe  she  could  resolve,  upon  a 
three  months'  acquaintance,  to  marry  a  man  whom  she  did 
not  like." 

"  Mother,  there  are  some  very  bitter  "temptations  to  pov- 
erty, after  all,"  said  Philip,  gravely,  remembering  Eleanor's 
shrinking  distaste  to  their  present  surroundings. 

"  I  cannot  think  any  child  of  mine  would  barter  the 
birthright  of  truth  and  honor  for  a  mess  of  pottage,"  she 
replied. 

"O,  she  must,  she  does  love  him,"  said  Madge,  warmly, 
for  she  experienced  a  strange,  sudden  thrill  of  sympathy 
with  her  elder  sister.  "  Only,  she  is  so  —  so  differentl "  and 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  117 

Madge  flushed.    "  She  never  did  talk  much  about  herself, 
you  know." 

"  But  she  has  changed,"  persisted  Philip.  "  She  has  the 
air  of  a  haughty,  fashionable  woman  ;  and  what  if  her  heart 
has  already  grown  cold !  For  it  seems  to  me  that  failing 
in  any  high  and  noble  purpose,  Eleanor  will  be  very 
worldly  indeed." 

u  We  can  only  trust  her  to  God,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  said, 
tremulously. 

"  And  I  wonder  if  we  trust  God  enough,"  Jessie  began, 
slowly.  "  I  was  thinking,  while  I  was  up  at  Hetty  Bright's, 
that  perhaps  we  were  straying  away.  Nothing  seems  as  it 
did  at  dear  old  Home  Nook." 

Philip  sighed,  and  pushed  back  his  chair. 

"  Of  all  bitter  things  in  this  world,  the  sin  of  marrying 
for  money  is  the  worst." 

"But  as  mamma  says,  we  must  not  judge  Nelly  too 
soon,"  spoke  up  fond  Madge. 

The  two  girls  washed  their  dishes  afterwards,  and  dis- 
cussed the  supper. 

"I  believe  I  really  do  like  aunt  Waltham,"  confessed 
Madge ;  "  and  somehow  I  cannot  see  how  Nelly  ever  would 
get  along  with  poverty.  She  doesn't  seem  at  all  adapted 
to  it." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  had  a  long  confidential  talk  in 
the  quiet  of  their  chamber.  Yet  could  they  stem  the  tide 
if  Eleanor  was  resolved  ? 

"If  I  could  only  read  her  heart,"  moaned  the  mother 
"  If  I  could  fathom  her  motives,  and  know  that  they  were 
pure.  Ah  Heaven,  why  is  it  a  sealed  book  to  me  ?  " 

And  thus  we  sometimes  question  God. 


118  HOME  NOOK,  OB 


CHAPTER   X. 

DBHTING   WITH   THE    TIDE. 

MBS.  WALTHAM  had  resol'/ed  that  nothing  should  in 
terfere  with  her  plans.  It  appeared  to  her  so  much  more 
desirable  that  Eleanor  should  marry  well  before  she  was 
at  all  faded,  or  had  lowered  herself  to  any  of  the  employ- 
ments suitable  for  women. 

She  was  a  most  skilful  manager.  At  first  she  made 
Eleanor's  sojourn  at  Newport  simply  delightful  and  free 
from  embarrassment.  That  the  young  girl  understood  why 
she  had  been  brought  thither,  and  why  she  was  treated 
with  such  consideration,  was  most  true,  though  no  word  on 
the  subject  had  passed  mint  Waltham's  lips. 

For  a  month  Eleanor's  soul  was  in  the  wildest  chaos, 
though  no  one  would  have  suspected  it.  The  beautiful  face 
kept  itself  calm  amid  contending  emotions,  and  the  steady 
eyes  never  wavered,  though  the  tides  surged  high  within. 
Other  women,  as  delicate  and  refined,  looked  upon  matri- 
mony as  the  great  resource  of  their  otherwise  fruitless 
lives.  Here  were  brilliant  and  apparently  contented  women 
who  had  not  idealized  marriage,  but  taken  the  best  that 
opportunity  brought  them,  or  that  they  could  wrest  from 
the  hands  of  fate.  And  though  Eleanor's  soul  revolted  at 
the  thought  of  a  mere  mercenary  bargain,  it  also  shrank  from 
the  other  distasteful  life  —  poverty.  Mrs.  Waltham  lost 
no  chance  of  setting  its  ills  before  her. 

In  this  state  she  met  Gerald  Copeland,  a  young  man  of 
six  and  twenty,  rather  fine  looking,  well  educated,  agreeable, 
and  possessing  a  certain  winsomeness  that  made  him  ex- 
tremely entertaining  to  ladies.  He  liked  Eleanor,  and 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  119 

drifted  into  something  that  he  called  a  flirtation.  He 
could  not  exactly  remember  how  he  had  come  to  "make 
love  to  her,"  but  it  was  after  a  peculiar  talk  with  Mrs, 
Waltham,  in  which  she  declared  that  Eleanor  was  like  a 
3 slighter  to  her;  and  after  a  brief  mention  of  the  family 
jiisfortunes  —  as  she  was  quite  confident  that  he  had  heard 
of  them  — she  incidentally  let  slip  the  fact  that  all  she  pos- 
sessed would  eventually  go  to  Eleanor. 

Gerald  Copeland  considered  seriously,  and  decided  that 
he  could  not  do  better.  So  he  glided  on  and  on,  Eleanor's 
reserve  being  very  charming  to  him,  until  he  had  spoken. 

Eleanor  Ashburton  gave  a  great,  frightened  gasp  at  this. 
There  was  nothing  about  him  that  positively  displeased 
her,  and  much  that  attracted.  Perhaps  she  would  never 
be  desperately  in  love. 

"  But  I  want  you  to  know  one  thing,"  she  said,  hurriedly. 
"  Our  fortune  has  been  swept  away,  and  I  am  poor.  If — " 

Gerald  Copeland  would  have  been  the  last  man  to 
admit  the  faintest  suspicion  of  fortune-hunting,  though  I 
doubt  if  he  would  have  spoken  but  for  Mrs.  Waltham's 
assurance. 

He  answered  in  a  most  tender  and  chivalrous  speech. 
Eleanor  took  her  duty  upon  her  sacredly.  She  meant  to 
love  this  man,  to  study  his  comfort  and  pleasure,  to  be 
worthy  of  his  devotion. 

If  she  made  a  little  sacrifice  of  herself,  it  was  for  the 
others,  she  said.  She  would  have  a  pleasant  home  to 
which  she  could  invite  them ;  she  could  restore  Jessie 
and  Madge  to  somewhat  of  their  olden  position,  and  pro- 
vide her  father  with  many  luxuries  that  he  must  necessarily 
miss  in  his  narrow  life.  It  would  relieve  Philip  and 
Clement  of  a  great  burden  in  thus  providing  even  partially 
for  the  rest.  And  so  she  exalted  her  deed  to  an  act  of 
heroism,  thereby  looking  upon  it  with  a  peculiar  compla- 
cency. 

There  was  a  tendency  to  the  strict  letter  of  the  law  in 


120  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Eleanor's  nature,  .1  rigid  adherence  to  any  mode  of  conduct 
that  she  determined  in  her  own  mind  was  right.  And 
during  the  month  of  her  engagement  she  fulfilled  every 
duty  so  perfectly,  that  she  convinced  herself  of  a  certain 
degree  of  affection. 

I  do  not  think  she  could  have  brought  herself  to  the 
point  of  marrying  a  man  whom  she  did  not  esteem,  and 
who  was  not  agreeable  to  her.  Feeling  that  Gerald's 
heart  was  warmly  enlisted  in  his  suit,  she  would  have  con- 
sidered it  most  dishonorable  to  draw  back.  And  though 
she  had  dreaded  the  meeting  with  her  parents,  she  felt, 
with  aunt  Waltham,  that  it  could  not  take  place  too  soon. 

She  leaned  back  in  the  carriage  languidly  after  she  had 
uttered  her  farewell. 

"  So  that  trouble  is  ended,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Waltham. 
"  You  were  over-sensitive  about  it,  my  dear  Nelly.  It  is 
natural,  to  be  sure,  that  parents  should  experience  some 
hesitation  at  giving  their  children  into  the  keeping  of 
others ;  but  your  father  takes  a  very  reasonable  view  of  the 
matter.  They  will  be  quite  charmed  with  Mr.  Copeland, 
I  know." 

Eleanor  was  not  in  a  talkative  mood.  It  rather  jarred 
on  her  feelings  to  think  that  her  lover  must  be  apologized 
for  by  a  third  person. 

She  found  a  lovely  bouquet  and  a  brief  note  awaiting 
her,  and  retired  to  her  room  quite  convinced  that  she  did 
love  Gerald  Copeland. 

Two  days  later,  the  carriage  was  sent  for  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ashburton.  Mrs.  Waltham  and  her  niece  had  become 
quite  domesticated  in  their  new  abode.  Indeed,  Eleanor 
felt  much  more  at  home  amid  this  elegance  than  in  the 
humble  abode  of  her  father.  She  was  cheerful  and  at  ease, 
and  to  Mr.  Ashburton  appeared  really  happy. 

Before  supper,  Mr.  Copeland  made  his  appearance  and 
was  duly  presented  —  a  bright,  genial  fellow,  who  soon 
rendered  himself  agreeable  to  Mrs.  Ashburton,  and  BUG- 


THE  CEOWN   OP   DUTY.  121 

seeded  in  disarming  her  prejudices,  for  it  must  be  admitted 
that  she  had  some. 

However,  Mrs.  Waltham  carried  her  away  presently. 
"You  like  him,"  she  began  with  a  little  exultation.  "I 
knew  you  could  not  help  it.  His  gayety  is  just  what 
Eleanor  needs,  for  she  has  a  tendency  to  over-seriousness, 
lie  spoke  to  me  to-day  about  the  marriage." 

"Not  so  soon !  Why,  I  understood  Eleanor  that  they 
Lad  been  engaged  barely  a  month,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ash- 
burton,  in  dismay. 

"  He  has  all  an  ardent  lover's  impatience.  It  is  better, 
of  course,  that  she  should  be  married  here,  as  there  is  an 
abundance  of  room,  and  it  is  more  convenient  on  many 
accounts.  I  think  they  will  go  to  Europe." 

Was  she  to  be  shut  out  of  her  child's  confidence  in  this 
matter  of  arrangements,  to  hear  only  at  the  last,  when 
everything  had  been  decided  upon? 

"  I  shall  give  Eleanor  her  bridal  outfit.  I  am  sure  that 
I  would  make  any  sacrifice,  cheerfully,  for  the  dear  girl's 
sake." 

"I  am  not  persuaded  but  that  it  would  be  better  to  have 
everything  plainer  and  more  in  keeping  with  our  station," 
suggested  Mrs.  Ashburton. 

"  It  would  be  folly,  since  she  is  going  to  marry  quite 
out  of  your  station;"  with  the  least  emphasis  in  the  world. 
"You  know  so  little  of  these  things,  Margaret !  Mr.  Cope- 
land's  friends  move  among  the  first  circles,  and  I  certainly 
should  not  want  to  mortify  him  at  such  a  time." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  was  silenced.  She  felt  really  broken  in 
spirit,  and  there  was  still  a  slight  misgiving  concerning 
Eleanor,  who  accepted  all  the  facts  so  calmly. 

"  I  suppose  it  will  be  about  the  last  of  November.     That 
will    give  them  time  to  get  to  Paris  by  the  New  Year. 
Nelly  will  be  sure  to  create  a  sensation.     I  should  like  to 
witness  her  triumphs." 
And  so  Mrs.  Waltham  went  on  with  her  worldly  com 


122  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

monplaces,  until  Mrs.  Ashburton  began  to  show  signs  of 
weariness.  Not  a  moment  could  she  find  alone  with  her 
child,  for  when  they  returned  to  the  drawing-room,  the 
conference  between  the  gentlemen  was  at  an  end,  and  the 
conversation  took  a  general  turn. 

"You  will  come  to-morrow  ?  "  Mrs.  Ashburton  said,  with 
her  good  by.  "  Remember  that  we  have  hardly  seen  you." 

"  I  feel  that  we  ought  to  know  more  about  this  young 
Copeland  before  Eleanor's  destiny  is  forever  decided,"  Mr. 
Ashburton  said  to  his  wife  when  they  were  alone.  "  He 
was  brought  up  by  an  uncle,  it  seems,  from  whom  he  has 
inherited  a  fortune;  and  so  far  his  life  has  been  a  mere 
pleasure  existence.  He  appears  amiable  and  honorable, 
and  I  believe  that  ho  really  loves  Nelly;  but  still  I  am 
not  content.  I  cannot  imagine  her  making  a  merely  fash- 
ionable woman.  I  used  to  fancy  that  she  had  such  a 
strong,  clear  soul,  and  would  need  a  higher,  finer  mind  to 
mate  with." 

"  I  have  a  strange  fear  myself  that  I  cannot  shake  off 
Are  we  growing  unjustly  suspicious?" 

"It  is  a  hard  trial,  added  to  our  losses.  If  she  should 
be  sacrificed  ! " 

Mrs.  Ashburton  clasped  her  husband's  hands  in  silence. 
Could  they  hinder? 

They  would  soon  have  found  fate  too  strong  for  them  if 
they  had  tried.  Aunt  Waltham  had  everything  her  own 
way.  Nelly  came  home,  to  be  sure,  and  was  tenderly 
gracious,  but  not  even  her  mother  could  surmount  the 
barrier  between  them.  The  younger  members  of  the 
family  espoused  Mr.  Copeland,  and  he  wns  quite  brotherly 
to  Madge  and  Jessie.  And  so  the  wedding  preparations 
went  on,  with  the  delightful  tour  in  prospective.  Many  a 
girl  envied  Eleanor  Ashburton.  Indeed,  the  world  ap- 
peared rather  brilliant,  seen  through  this  glamour. 

She  had  come  to  understand  that  her  parents  did  look 
upon  matters  in  a  different  light,  in  a  less  practical  way. 


THE  CBOWN   OF  DUTY.  123 

For  she  had  no  trust  in  God's  overruling  providence.  She 
would  have  been  shocked  had  any  one  told  her  this,  for 
she  still  kept  to  the  outward  semblance  of  her  childhood's 
faith.  But  when  she  saw  her  father  deprived  of  health 
and  prosperity  at  one  blow,  and  could  find  no  mistake 
or  omission  in  his  life  that  seemed  to  call  for  so  severe  a 
punishment,  she  did  consider  the  judgment  unjust.  As  aunt 
Waltham  said,  they  might  sit  and  wait  forever  for  good 
fortune ;  the  only  way  to  attain  it  would  be  by  using  the 
best  materials  at  her  command.  And  this  marriage  was 
one  opening,  she  thought.  It  would  seem  to  pave  a  way 
for  the  rest,  or,  if  the  worst  came,  if  her  father  never 
should  recover,  she  would  have  a  home,  a  place  of  refuge 
for  them  all. 

The  question  of  marriage  was  not  a  purely  selfish  one 
with  her.  If  it  had  been  simply  for  personal  ease  and 
comfort,  she  might  have  seen  the  thin  disguise,  and  been 
warned  in  time. 

November  drew  nigh,  ushered  in  by  a  fresh  access  of 
business  and  interest.  The  Copeland  relatives  —  and  there 
were  some  very  stylish  cousins  —  took  up  Eleanor  with 
great  warmth  and  fervor.  The  bridal  outfit  was  purchased, 
some  elegant  presents  sent  in,  and  the  affair  promised  to 
be  very  brilliant.  Aunt  Waltham  was  in  her  glory. 

At  last  the  important  day  arrived.  Jessie  and  a  hand- 
some Miss  Copeland  were  bridesmaids.  The  bride  was 
stately  and  magnificent  in  her  rich  white  silk  and  gossamer 
laces ;  there  was  a  crowd  to  witness  the  ceremony,  a  throng 
of  fashionable  calls  for  the  next  two  hours,  hurried  fare- 
wells, interspersed  with  tender  kisses,  and  Eleanor  Cope- 
land  bade  adieu  to  the  old  life. 

Philip,  Jessie,  Madge,  and  aunt  Waltham  went  down  to 
the  wharf  with  the  party,  and  watched  until  the  steamer 
slipped  out  of  her  moorings.  There  was  Nelly,  pale  anl 
calm,  with  a  strange,  questioning  wisttulness  in  her  eyes. 
She  would  be  back  by  another  midsummer,  of  coursa 
But,  O,  would  they  all  be  the  same  ? 


124  HOME    NOOK,    OB 

"  It  seems  so  hard  ! "  sobbed  tender-hearted  Madge 
"  And  if  Nelly  should  not  be  happy  — " 

"Don't  talk  so  senselessly,"  said  aunt  Waltham,  sharply. 
"Nelly  has  more  wisdom  than  all  the  rest  of  you  together." 

Philip  was  silent.  He  could  not  help  remembering  the 
misgivings  with  which  they  hud  assented  to  this  marriage. 
And  yet  Mr.  Copeland  was  an  attractive  young  man.  A 
trifle  gay,  one  and  another  had  said ;  but  young  men  of 
leisure  and  fashion  rarely  escape  this  reputation.  What 
was  it  that  had  given  them  this  slight,  intangible  fear? 

Perhaps  they  all  felt  that  he  was  not  Nelly's  equal  in 
the  higher  intellectual  qualities,  and  that  she  would  soon 
weary  of  a  purely  fashionable  and  material  life.  And  when 
the  awakening  came  —  what  then  ? 

Quite  a  number  of  guests  accepted  Mrs.  Waltham's  in- 
vitation to  remain  and  dine  with  her,  but  Mr.  Ashburton 
was  too  weary ;  so  he  and  his  wife  returned  home.  Mrs. 
Waltham  determined  to  make  the  most  of  her  festivities, 
and  entertain  her  friends  handsomely,  as  a  continuation  of 
the  bridal  feast.  Now  and  then  a  word  of  praise  was 
dropped  in  her  cup.  "  So  generous  to  her  brother's  family! 
What  would  Miss  Ashburton  have  done  without  such  a 
friend  ?  " 

**  I  have  always  loved  the  dear  girl,"  she  made  answer, 
complacently.  "  If  my  brother's  mind  had  not  been  so 
shattered  at  the  time  of  his  misfortune,  it  would  have  been 
quite  different  with  them  all;"  and  she  sighed  amiably. 

She  fancied  that  she  had  performed  a  very  noble  action. 
It  did  impoverish  her  somewhat ;  and  yet  Eleanor  would 
have  been  deeply  humiliated  had  she  known  the  many 
stratagems  that  had  been  used  in  her  behalf.  Mrs.  Wal- 
tbam  had  such  a  charming,  winsome  manner,  that  she  not 
only  persuaded  people  to  her  way  of  thinking,  but  actually 
made  them  believe  certain  plans  their  own,  so  that  it  ren- 
dered a  non-fulfilment  of  them  almost  impossible. 

After  the  guests  had  gone  and  the  lights  were  out,  she 
retired  to  her  own  room  with  a  satisfied  conscience. 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  125 

"I  have  done  the  best  I  could  for  them,"  she  said,  "and 
now  they  must  look  out  for  themselves.  Poverty  will 
not  make  so  much  difference  to  Jessie  and  Madge." 

The  "children  "  had  returned  quite  early.  They  found 
their  father  on  the  sofa,  and  their  mother  reading  aloud  to 
him. 

"O,  dear!"  ejaculated  Madge;  "what  a  solemn  feeling 
seems  to  haunt  us  all !  as  if  it  had  been  a  funeral,  rathe\ 
than  a  happy  wedding.  Do  you  think,  Nelly  —  " 

There  was  a  glitter  of  tears  in  the  bright  eyes,  and  thf 
voice  paused  in  a  quiver. 

"Nelly  always  looks  the  same,"  said  Jessie,  gravely. 
"  She  is  quiet  and  composed,  and  I  am  sure  she  did  not 
appear  unhappy." 

"  Only  there  was  something  in  her  eyes  just  at  the  last — 
as  if  she  longed  to  come  back  to  us." 

And  then  Madge  fell  into  a  reverie.  What  if  it  were 
she,  instead  ?  Ah  !  could  any  one  be  quite  glad  to  go  out 
of  the  old  home-nest  ? 

"We  will  never  forget  to  pray  for  her  welfare,"  said  Mr. 
Ashburton;  and  certainly  the  petitions  ascending  that 
night  from  fond  hearts  were  deeply  imbued  with  love  and 
fervor. 

The  tide  swept  them  all  back  to  common  life  again. 
The  old,  uneventful  round.  Philip  at  his  store,  Madge 
going  to  school,  Jessie  with  her  housewifely  tasks,  and  Mr. 
Ashburton  sometimes  quite  strong  again,  then  feeble  and 
depressed.  Letters  from  ambitious  Clement,  full  of  hope 
and  vigor;  from  Eleanor,  who  was  seeing  the  old  world 
with  keenest  pleasure  and  satisfaction.  Always  something 
about  Gerald,  his  generosity  and  indulgence,  his  kind  care 
and  desire  to  make  her  happy. 

Aunt  Waltham  had  gone  to  New  Orleans  to  spend  the 
winter.  One  or  two  old  friends  came  from  Riverside  to 
make  them  a  visit,  and  now  and  then  a  good  long  letter 
from  Mrs.  Rachel  Dormer  to  Jessie. 


126  HOME    NOOK,  OB 

When  the  spring  business  began  to  open,  Mr.  Ashbnrtoi 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  situation.  His  health  was  very 
much  broken,  and  his  faculties  appeared  to  have  suffered 
somewhat,  especially  memory,  and  the  readiness  that  had 
once  characterized  him.  But  they  were  all  thankful  for 
this  amendment. 

Nelly  did  not  come  home  at  midsummer.  They  had 
epent  most  of  the  winter  in  Paris,  and  there  were  so  many 
places  yet  to  visit !  So  long  as  she  appeared  content,  they 
did  not  feel  inclined  to  perplex  themselves  or  her  with 
vain  questions. 

Charlie  Westlake  graduated  with  honors.  He  sent  a 
newspaper  account  for  Madge's  perusal,  which  delighted 
her  exceedingly.  A  few  days  after,  a  letter  came  to  Mrs. 
Ashburton  in  the  familiar  hand.  It  was  a  delicate  expla- 
nation of  his  absence,  with  all  his  boyish  eagerness  and 
quick  sense  of  disappointment.  His  mother  and  cousin 
had  attended  the  Commencement,  and  were  wonderfully 
well  pleased  with  his  success.  But  they  had  also  come 
prepared  for  their  summer  tour,  which  was  to  be  through 
the  Lakes,  and  as  far  west  as  Minnesota.  He  hoped  to 
return  by  September,  however. 

They  all  went  up  to  Catskill  for  a  week,  enjoying  the 
change  of  air,  and  the  wild,  beautiful  mountains.  Jessie 
and  Mrs.  Ashburton  spent  a  few  days  with  Mrs.  Downer 
and  one  or  two  other  friends.  It  seemed  as  if  nothing 
changed  at  Riverside,  save  the  growing  out  of  memory 
that  one  always  experiences  to  some  extent. 

Madge  waited  and  hoped.  Her  nature  was  so  buoyant 
and  her  trust  so  perfect,  that  the  few  weeks'  delay  was  as 
nothing  to  her,  since  she  had  her  bright  dreams  for  solace. 

He  dropped  in  one  day  when  they  were  least  expecting 
him,  but  he  was  welcomed  warmly,  nevertheless.  It  had 
become  a  rare  pleasure  to  meet  cordial  old  friends. 

Madge  glanced  up  at  him,  and  remarked  an  inexplicable 
change.  The  year  had  done  a  great  deal  for  him. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  12" 

And  yet  this  change  was  not  merely  the  outgrowth  of 
boyhood,  though  that  had  been  marked.  He  was  tall 
now,  rather  above  the  average  height,  and  the  old  frank 
gayety  was  fast  blossoming  into  steadfastness.  The  eyes 
had  taken  a  deeper  and  more  direct  tone,  the  lines  about 
the  mouth  grown  into  firmness.  A  face  full  of  promise, 
one  would  have  said,  indicating  a  soul  that  would  work  its 
way  up  to  grander  heights.  It  seemed  now  as  if  a  noble 
and  honorable  manhood  stretched  before  him,  bright  with 
the  sunshine  of  promise. 

Something  of  this  she  understood  in  her  girlish,  wonder- 
ing way,  but  there  was  a  deeper  mystery  behind  it  all. 

He  pleaded  very  urgently  for  an  engagement. 

"I  am  sure  you  might  trust  me  now,  Mrs.  Ashburton," 
he  said,  with  his  frank,  impulsive  daring.  "  Not  once  has 
Madge  been  out  of  my  mind  the  whole  year.  And  if  I 
served  seven  years  for  her,  it  would  be  just  the  same." 

"  You  are  still  so  young ! " 

"  But  Madge  is  seventeen." 

"  I  shall  never  change  my  mind,  mamma,  if  you  mean 
that,"  responded  Madge,  with  a  bright  flush. 

"  It  is  not  altogether  that,"  was  the  grave  answer.  "  If 
you  are  both  true  in  soul,  the  fact  of  being  simply  friends 
a  little  longer  will  not  injure  your  confidence  in  each  other. 
Then  Charlie  still  has  much  to  do,  and  perhaps  had  better 
not  take  upon  himself  quite  so  engrossing  a  claim.  But 
my  greatest  reason  for  all  is,  that  I  think  Mrs.  Westlake 
will  not  be  pleased." 

Madge  and  Charlie  glanced  at  each  other. 

**  But  Madge  used  to  be  a  great  favorite  with  mother." 

"Circumstances  have  changed,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  said, 
gravely. 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,  dear  Mrs.  Ashburton ; "  and 
Charlie  flushed  warmly.  "  There  is  a  great  deal  of  honor 
paid  to  wealth  in  this  world,  even  among  the  best  of  us. 
I  do  not  mean  to  despise  it,  for  it  is  the  source  of  many 


128  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

pleasures,  much  refinement,  culture,  and  advantages  that 
one  cannot  otherwise  have.  But  a  man,  if  he  have  any 
spirh  or  ambition,  can  make  his  way  in  the  world,  which  I 
mean  to  do." 

Madge  rewarded  this  resolve  with  a  bright  smile. 

"Mother  cannot  quite  understand  how  one  is  able  to 
letain  the  graces  and  refinements  of  a  higher  life,  in  con- 
tact with  toil  and  the  practice  of  economy.  She  has  never 
known  anything  of  it.  And  it  would  frighten  her  if  she 
thought  I  meant  to  take  up  a  poor  man's  life  —  " 

"And  marry  a  poor  woman  !  "  Mrs.  Ashburton  appended, 
in  her  sweetest  tone.  "  Yet  it  seems  to  me  the  case  rests 
just  here.  If  I  allowed  you  and  Madge  to  enter  into  a 
secret  engagement,  your  mother  might  say,  with  some 
show  of  reason,  that  we  had  unduly  influenced  you  at  the 
most  susceptible  period  of  your  life.  And  unless  you  are 
willing  to  confess  it,  I  think  you  had  better  wait.  I  have 
a  mother's  tender  pride  in  not  desiring  to  have  Madge 
unjustly  blamed." 

Charlie  was  silent  for  several  moments,  but  the  wish  and 
perplexity  settled  at  last  into  a  brave,  resolute  expression. 

"You  are  right,  Mrs.  Ashburton,"  he  returned,  slowly. 
"I  mean  to  study  law,  and  I  hope  to  distinguish  myself; 
but  it  would  not  be  just  to  mother  to  keep  my  other  pur- 
pose from  her.  I  shall  dare  all.''' 

"  Consider  first.  Suppose  your  mother  should  insist  upon 
choosing  between  Madge  and  all  further  assistance  from 
her?" 

"  O,  it  couldn't  come  to  that.  And  I  have  a  little  money 
of  my  own ;  enough  to  help  me  through.  But  in  every- 
thing I  should  keep  to  Madge,  my  darling." 

The  young  girl  met  the  eloquent  eyes  with  a  glance  a* 
fervent. 

"  I  sincerely  hope  that  your  love  will  make  no  lasting 
breach  between  you  and  your  mother.  I  should  be  sorry 
for  Madge  to  go  to  any  home  where  she  was  not  warmly 
welcomed." 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  129 

"The  best  way  is  to  confess  it  at  once.  I  think  ray 
mother  will  say  that  I  am  too  immature  to  form  so  impor- 
tant an  engagement,  and  beg  me  to  wait.  In  that  case, 
may  I  come  occasionally  as  a  friend  ?  " 

It  was  very  hard  to  refuse  the  eager  pleader,  with  Madge  • 
beseeching  eyes  upon  her. 

"  I  can  hardly  deny  you  that,"  she  answered,  yet  with  a 
certain  hesitation. 

u  Since  nothing  can  take  away  from  Madge  the  conscious- 
ness of  my  love,  I  will  be  content.  I  hope,  in  a  brief 
while,  to  be  able  to  settle  the  perplexities." 

And  thus  the  young  lovers  parted,  in  a  manner  not 
altogether  satisfactory  to  either. 

"But  I  think  the  tangle  will  be  resolved  by  patient 
hearts  and  fingers,"  said  Madge.  "It  may  be  the  one 
lesson  that  I  need." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  sighed  a  little  in  secret.  While  under 
some  circumstances  she  might  have  felt  pleased  at  this 
preference  —  for  they  all  liked  Charlie  Westlake  —  it 
seemed  fraught  with  many  perplexities  at  present.  Was 
it  quite  fair  and  honorable  to  hold  him  even  by  this  tacit 
bond,  slight  as  it  was  ?  For  Mrs.  Westlake  was  a  haughty 
woman,  and  would  hardly  welcome  a  daughter-in-law 
dowered  by  poverty. 

But  she  took  this  case  to  the  throne  of  grace,  whither 
she  bore  all  her  burdens.  God  in  his  wisdom  had  allowed 
it  to  come  to  pass,  and  he  would  open  some  path  to  the  sure 
and  right  termination. 

Early  in  the  autumn  they  were  shocked  by  the  tiding*! 
of  aunt  Waltham's  sudden  death.  She  had  been  com- 
plaining of  some  trifling  ailments  for  a  month  or  two, 
which  had  at  last  taken  a  serious  turn,  though  no  one  had 
considered  her  so  near  her  end.  The  body  was  brought 
home  to  be  interred  in  Greenwood. 

"The  providences  of  God  are  strange  indeed,"  said  Mr. 
Ashburton.  "  That  I  should  have  lived  through  BO  much 
9 


130  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

and  though  a  wreck,  still  be  spared,  and  sister  Waltham 
taken  in  the  midst  of  health  and  energy!" 

But  Jessie  crept  closer  to  her  father,  and  slipped  het 
soft  hand  in  his. 

"We  are  all  glad  to  have  you,"  she  murmured. 

After  aunt  Waltham's  burial,  her  will  was  read.  Shortly 
after  her  brother's  losses,  she  had  invested  her  fortune  in  an 
annuity,  which  brought  her  in  a  handsome  allowance,  but, 
of  course,  ended  with  her.  Besides  this,  she  had  about  a 
thousand  dollars,  which,  with  an  elegant  set  of  diamonds 
and  some  beautiful  laces,  went  to  Eleanor,  while  her  clothes 
were  left  to  Madge  and  Jessie.  But  in  this  respect  she 
had  been  very  economical.  As  soon  as  a  garment  be- 
came passee,  she  disposed  of  it  to  some  convenient  second- 
hand dealer,  and  was  rarely  encumbered  with  a  great 
stock. 

The  busy,  scheming  brain  was  now  at  rest.  So  earnest 
and  untiring  in  her  care  for  the  enjoyment  and  opinion  of 
this  world — what  had  she  done  for  the  next?  For  what 
had  she  been  fitting  herself  these  long  years  ?  Jessie  trem- 
bled a  little  at  the  solemn  thoughts  that  would  find  their 
way  into  her  soul. 

Eleanor  and  Gerald  had  decided  to  spend  the  winter 
at  Florence,  and  thither  her  small  fortune  was  despatched, 
at  her  request.  And  towards  spring  they  heard  that  a  lit- 
tle daughter  had  been  born  to  Eleanor. 

They  might  have  heard  something  else  if  they  had 
mingled  much  in  the  fashionable  world.  That  Gerald 
Copeland  was  rapidly  dissipating  his  inheritance,  and  had 
become  an  habitual  frequenter  of  gambling  saloons,  with 
all  their  continental  excitements  and  allurements.  Mam- 
mas who  had  courted  him  for  their  daughters  openly 
pitied  that  poor  Miss  Ashburton,  while  they  could  not 
quite  forgive  her  triumph. 

But  the  Ashburtons  guessed  nothing  of  this  in  their  quiet 
live*.  Eleanor's  letters  had  become  a  great  treat  to  them 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  131 

Her  description  of  places,  people,  and  the  treasures  of  art 
were  wonderfully  vivid  and  entertaining. 

"It  is  almost  like  seeing  it  ourselves,"  said  Madge. 
"After  all,  I  fancy  the  right  thing  did  happen  to  Nelly. 
She  must  enjoy  that  kind  of  elegant  life  so  much,  and  W« 
must  admit  that  it  is  nice  to  be  rich." 

But  Nelly's  heart  was  never  on  veiled- 


132  HOME   NOOK,   On 


CHAPTER  XL 

AMONG   THOEW9. 

Tine  Ashburtons  began  to  consider  themselves  quit* 
prosperous.  Philip's  salary  had  been  raised,  and  this,  with 
Mr.  Ashburton's  assistance,  rendered  them  for  the  present 
independent  of  Clement.  Madge  proved  a  bright,  quick 
scholar,  and  would  graduate  in  another  year.  Jessie  and 
her  mother  attended  to  the  household,  and  found  many 
pleasures  and  comforts  in  the  homely  every-day  living. 

"  If  Madge,"  or  "  if  Charlie,"  they  sometimes  said  to  one 
another,  pausing  with  a  fluttering  underbreath.  For  he 
had  not  found  courage  to  confess,  or  circumstances  had 
been  against  him.  There  was  a  journey  to  Charleston  to 
see  a  relative,  and  some  discussion  as  to  where  he  should 
begin  his  law  studies.  Mrs.  Westlake  knew  her  strongest 
ally  was  temporizing.  She  would  not  let  her  son  come  to 
a  full  explanation. 

From  thence  they  went  to  Florida  on  his  cousin's  ac- 
count. It  was  all  very  pleasant,  and  he  with  his  youth 
could  not  help  enjoying  it.  He  wrote  occasionally  to  Mrs. 
Ashburton,  knowing  that  she  could  not  refuse  Madge  a 
sight  of  the  precious  epistles,  but  he  never  asked  for 
answers. 

The  rent  of  their  house,  which  had  been  low  in  the  be- 
ginning, was  raised  fifty  dollars. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are  paying  all  that  we  can 
afford,"  said  Jessie. 

"  Well,  you  might  look  around  a  little,"  remarked  Philip. 
"But  small  houses  are  fast,  becoming  a  rarity  in  the  city 
and  it  is  best  not  to  give  up  this  until  we  have  one  in 
view.** 


THE   CROWN   OF  DUTY.  133 

Very  prudent  advice  they  found  it.  After  hunting 
houses  pretty  steadily  for  a  fortnight,  they  relinquished  the 
distasteful  business. 

"  There  is  nothing  like  this  to  be  had  for  four  hundred 
even,"  said  Jessie.  "And  to  go  in  a  house  with  a 
family  —  " 

"No,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Ashburton.  "I  could  not  do 
that  unless  the  necessity  was  urgent." 

"And  then  the  expense  of  moving!  " 

"Yes.  It  would  cost  us  fifty  dollars  before  we  could 
get  settled  again." 

So  the  house  was  taken  for  another  year. 

Then  the  firm  in  whose  employ  Philip  had  hoped  to  go 
on  steadily,  met  with  several  heavy  losses  in  quick  succes- 
sion, and  was  at  last  forced  to  succumb.  Business  was  very 
dull.  It  was  early  in  our  national  troubles,  when  men  be- 
gan to  question  each  other  with  apprehensive  eyes,  not 
daring  to  put  all  their  thoughts  into  words. 

Poor  Philip!  The  search  was  most  disheartening. 
Days,  weeks  —  two  months  at  last. 

"  I  am  sorely  tempted  to  go  to  the  war,"  he  said  to 
Jessie,  one  evening.  "  The  country  has  a  claim  first  upon 
the  young  and  strong." 

"  But  to  leave  us ! "  faltered  Jessie. 

"Would  it  not  be  better  than  idling  away  my  time? 
There  are  a  dozen  men  for  every  place,  and  the  country 
calls  for  help.  My  heart  smites  me  every  day,  Jessie." 

"  But  papa  clings  to  you  so,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  he 
is  hardly  as  strong  as  a  year  ago." 

"  Yet  what  am  I  to  do  ?  "  and  Philip  sighed. 

A  double  answer  came :  first  a  situation,  with  a  salary 
somewhat  higher  than  he  had  received  before ;  and  then  a 
letter  from  Clement  enclosing  a  draft. 

A  long,  kind,  brotherly  epistle.  Clement  was  not  un- 
mindful of  the  grand  struggle  going  on  in  his  beloved 
country. 


134  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

M  Since  I  cannot  serve  my  native  land,  and  you  appeal 
to  be  the  prop  of  our  once  happy  home,  whose  member* 
will  be  left  top  defenceless  and  helpless  by  your  absence,  I 
send  you  a  sum  wherewith  to  purchase  substitutes  for  us 
both.  This  appears  only  right  and  just,  I  think.  Others 
are  laying  their  lives  upon  the  altar,  and  we  whom  circum 
stances  prevent,  should  not  be  backward  in  doing  our  duty 
through  some  other  channel.  I  feel  as  if  I  wanted  to  be 
represented,  and  you  who  are  so  precious  to  them  all  at 
home  must  remain,  and  send  another  to  become  your 
champion." 

There  was  much  more  that  touched  Philip  to  the  heart 
as  he  read. 

"  What  a  dear,  noble  fellow ! "  exclaimed  Madge.  "  I  am 
glad  to  have  him  think  of  that.  And  it  does  seem  right." 

"What  are  you  thinking  of,  mamma?"  asked  Jessie, 
watching  the  fluttering  lights  in  the  fair  face. 

"  I  was  rejoicing  inwardly  with  Madge.  At  times  I  have 
felt  a  little  afraid  that  Clement,  in  his  earnest  and  almost 
impatient  desire  to  recover  our  lost  home,  would  lose  sight 
of  some  of  the  higher  duties  of  life.  But  to  see  him  thus 
thoughtful  of  needs  besides  his  own,  is  a  great  comfort  to 
me." 

"  O,  mamma !  As  if  Clement  could  ever  be  anything  but 
noble ! "  exclaimed  Madge. 

"My  dear,  there  are  temptations  everywhere.  Are  we 
not  all  commanded  to  watch  and  pray  ?  " 

Philip's  soul  and  conscience  were  at  rest  after  he  had 
obeyed  Clement's  bidding.  And  then  he  began  to  watch 
his  father  more  narrowly  than  before.  How  the  face  and 
figure  had  changed !  The  shoulders  were  bent  a  little, 
the  cheeks  thin  and  rather  sunken,  the  hair  and  beard  fast 
turning  silvery  white.  But  there  was  something  that  he 
had  not  remarked  before.  A  kind  of  hesitancy,  coupled 
with  an  almost  painful  watchfulness,  as  if  he  were  listening 
for  a  sound  that  he  might  not  readily  understand,  or  the 


THE  CBOWN   OF  DUTY.  185 

coming  of  a  dreaded  visitant.  Had  there  leen  an  uncon- 
fessed  symptom  of  paralysis  ? 

In  this  anxiety,  Philip  had  recourse  to  Dr.  Oonway 
once  more. 

"  He  is  considerably  worn  and  shattered,  but  I  see  no 
cause  for  apprehension,"  was  the  doctor's  verdict.  "  Truth 
to  tell,  he  is  not  able  to  endure  the  fatigues  of  business. 
He  needs  a  holiday." 

"  And  he  shall  have  it,"  said  Philip,  with  a  swelling 
heart. 

He  took  Madge  and  Jessie  into  council.  If,  when  the 
warm  weather  came,  they  could  persuade  both  parents  to 
take  a  pleasant  trip  somewhere  among  country  scenes, 
where  peace  and  rest  forever  brooded  in  the  air,  and  every 
breath  brought  new  life ! 

"It  is  too  hard  to  have  him  work  at  all!"  said  Philip. 
"  If  he  would  be  content  to  give  up  entirely ! " 

They  pressed  each  other's  hands  in  silence.  Poverty 
was  no  romance  with  them,  but  a  bitter,  actual  fact.  They 
felt  it  most  keenly  for  their  father's  sake.  They  were 
young,  and  could  face  it  sturdily,  bear  all  the  deprivations, 
for  they  had  not  taken  such  firm  root  among  the  graces 
and  appliances  of  wealth. 

Philip  considered  a  long  while  how  best  to  broach  the 
subject  to  his  father.  The  idea  of  a  two  months'  vacation 
might  startle  him  ;  and  then  again,  if  the  situation  had  to 
be  filled —  would  he  be  willing  to  go? 

These  perplexities  soon  came  to  an  end.  The  holiday 
was  proffered  without  any  asking,  only  it  was  final. 

He  came  home  early  one  March  afternoon,  his  face  more 
wan  than  ever,  and  the  soft  eyes  full  of  despair.  Jessie 
was  alone.  Madge  had  persuaded  her  mother  into  taking 
a  ramble  around  the  Park. 

"O,  papal  Are  you  ill?"  and  Jessie's  tender  anni 
were  about  him,  her  warm  cheek  against  his. 

"  No,  my  darling." 


136  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

There  was  a  curious  calmness  in  his  tone,  though  ht 
Was  trembling  in  every  limb. 

"But  —  you  are  home  sooner  than  usual ! n 

"Yes." 

There  was  a  faint  sinking  of  the  lines  about  the  mouth, 
a  half-fearful  expression  as  if  some  blow  had  been  struck, 
and  he  apprehended  another. 

She  stood  looking  at  him,  mutely  questioning  him  with 
her  fond  eyes. 

"  I  have  been  discharged,  Jessie; "  with  a  little  cry,  as  if 
the  pain  went  deep. 

"  O,  papa !     That  is  not  so  very  hard  to  bear." 

The  comforting  voice  was  low  and  untrembling,  the 
scarlet  lips  parting  to  a  half  smile. 

"That  is  not  all,  Jessie.  There  was  a  mistake — I  don't 
know  how  I  could  have  made  it  —  I  go  over  things  so 
many  times ; "  in  a  weary  tone.  "  But  Mr.  Evans  was 
angry.  You  can  hardly  understand,  my  darling,  how  it 
seems  to  have  a  man  much  younger,  and  your  inferior  in 
every  way,  a  kind  of  coarse,  grudging  nature,  glad  to  find 
fault  on  the  slightest  pretext,  placed  over  you  as  master, 
and  to  bear  petty  sneers  and  pompous  commands.  And 
though  I  answered  mildly,  it  was  nothing  against  the 
torrent." 

"  Forget  all  about  it,  papa.  Philip  has  been  planning 
something  —  a  pleasure,  and  this  just  conies  in  right." 

"But  you  don't  know"  —  clasping  his  thin  fingers  to- 
gether—  "you  don't  know  all.  That  was  this  morning; 
and  I  have  been  trying  ever  since  to  find  some  em- 
ployment. They  think  me  old  and  incapable ;  I  see  it  in 
every  one's  face." 

His  pale  lips  twitched  convulsively,  and  a  tear  dropped 
on  the  carpet. 

"You  need  a  little  rest;  Philip  said  so.  And  then  1 
think  it  will  all  come  right.  Dear  papa,  let  us  trust  —  " 

"  It  is  so  hard  when  one  is  unfortunate." 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  137 

"  And  that  is  just  the  time." 

"If  there  was  no  one  — if  I  could  be  spared  —  but  it 
seems  as  if  the  time  had  not  quite  come  yet.  I  wanted 
Clement  to  be  tolerably  free  of  burdens  for  a  few  years, 
since  he  has  taken  the  one  high  task  upon  himself." 

Something  strange  and  awesome  seemed  to  find  entrance 
in  Jessie's  brain.  This  Home  Nook,  so  dear  and  precious, 
was  a  kind  of  promised  land  to  them  here  in  the  wilder- 
ness. They  were  all  striving,  and  hoping,  and  praying  — 
but  what  if  God  meant  they  should  never  possess  it  again  ? 
She  grew  cold  with  a  painful  apprehension.  It  was  the 
first  time  she  had  ever  thought  of  the  improbability. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  in  a  low  tone, "  all  we  can  do  is  to 
trust  God.  He  never  will  forsake  us." 

"True,  my  darling." 

And  then  Mr.  Ashburton  was  silent.  It  was  more  diffi 
cult  to  trust  in  adversity.  One  could  not  help  asking  why 
one  must  be  stricken  so  sorely,  —  rendered  so  helpless! 

He  made  several  efforts  after  this,  but  with  no  success. 
Business  was  very  dull  —  at  least,  anything  that  he 
could  do. 

Philip  gained  consent  to  his  plan.  Some  one  recom- 
mended a  quiet  little  sea-side  place  on  Long  Island,  where 
board  could  be  obtained  at  moderate  terms.  Thither  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ashburton  went,  and  were  well  pleased  with 
their  surroundings. 

"  But  it  seems  as  if  I  ought  not  to  be  a  burden  on  my 
children,"  he  said  to  his  wife.  "  I  always  meant  to  do  so 
much  for  them." 

"  And  shall  we  refuse  to  let  them  do  for  us?" 

"It  does  not  appear  right," — in  his  slow,  sad  manner. 

"  We  must  thank  God  for  these  two  noble  boys,  and 
leave  the  rest  in  his  hands." 

Madge  and  Jessie  missed  the  two  familiar  faces  sorely ; 
but  both  were  brave ;  and  they  began  to  consider  what 
manner  of  life  lay  before  them. 


138  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

"  I  believe  I  ought  to  make  application  for  a  situation, 
said  Madge.     "I  never  could  endure  the  thought  of  teach- 
ing school ;  but  Nelly  used  to  consider  it  genteel,  and  I 
hardly  know  what  else  I  could  do.     We  are  not  both 
needed  at  home." 

It  was  very  true. 

"And  since  my  destiny  appears  to  be  decided,  and  if 
one  in  which  there  bids  fair  to  be  a  good  deal  of  waiting, ' 
with  a  kind  of  half-sad  smile,  "  perhaps  it  would  be  as  well 
to  make  myself  useful." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  you  undertake  anything  you  do 
not  like." 

"  It  may  be  a  good  discipline,  perhaps.  I  find  that  I 
am  quite  prone  to  consult  my  own  likes  and  dislikes.  And 
if  I  knew  just  what  would  suit  me!  I  run  over  the  list  of 
female  employments,  and  find  that  some  of  the  higher  ones 
are  altogether  out  of  my  reach.  O,  dear !  Life  is  full  of 
perplexities." 

Poor  Madge.  The  realities  were  rapidly  crowding  upon 
her. 

But  that  afternoon,  as  she  sat  alone,  puzzling  her  brains 
with  many  unanswerable  questions,  Jessie  having  gone  out 
to  do  some  errands,  she  was  startled  from  her  reverie  by 
a  ring  at  the  door. 

"  O  !  "  with  a  glad  cry ;  and  the  next  instant  she  was 
sobbing  in  her  young  lover's  arms. 

"  My  darling ! "  he  cried,  in  alarm. 

She  raised  her  wet,  blushing  face  with  a  touch  of  Elea- 
nor's dignity,  for  Charlie  Westlake  was  manlier  than  ever. 
How  dared  she  give  way  to  such  weakness  and  folly ! 

"  My  dear  girl,  are  you  not  going  to  ask  me  in  ?  "  with 
a  little  of  the  old  gayety  in  his  voice.  "  I  thought  I  should 
surprise  you,  but  I  had  not  dreamed  of  so  sad  a  greeting. 
The  others  —  ?" 

a  Are  well,"  Madge  hastened  to  say,  shyly  preceding  hef 
Lover  into  the  parlor. 


THE  GROWN  OF  DUTY.  139 

u  Did  I  startle  you  ?    I  ought  to  have  known." 

"I  should  have  cried  in  another  moment  anyhow.  Your 
coming  is  only  a  lame  excuse,"  and  she  tried  to  smile. 

"I  do  not  want  to  lose  my  bright  little  gypsy  Madge, 
for  we  have  a  way  before  us  that  will  require  a  good  deal 
of  patience  and  hope." 

"  Mine  was  foolishness,"  said  Madge,  resolutely. 

"  Was  it  ?  And  are  you  all  alone  ?  O,  what  lovely 
roses !  They  are  from  Miss  Jessie's  estate,  I  know." 

A  choice  bouquet  stood  on  the  centre-table,  in  the  cool, 
pleasant-looking  parlor.  Jessie  was  a  marvellous  gardener. 
Everything  she  tended  came  straight  to  perfection. 

"I  am  glad  to  find  you  alone,  Madge,  for  various 
reasons,"  and  the  young  lover's  face  grew  a  trifle  graver. 
"  I  have  a  great  deal  to  tell  you,  but  first  I  must  hear  about 
your  sorrow." 

"  I  do  not  know  as  it  ought  to  be  dignified  with  such  a 
high-sounding  title,"  —  and  the  girl  smiled  again. 

"But  there  was  some  pain  in  it,  or  there  would  have 
been  no  tears.  Am  I  not  your  nearest  friend?  —  nay, 
more  than  a  friend  ?  " 

She  turned  partly  away.  The  sympathy  was  too  dan- 
gerously sweet. 

"  What  was  the  trouble  ?  "  in  a  low,  persuasive  voice. 

"  Not  worth  the  telling." 

"  Only  that  I  have  a  right  to  know." 

There  was  a  little  authority  in  his  voice.  Insensibly 
they  were  coming  to  that  second  estate  where  soul  speaks 
to  soul  —  the  power  on  a  man's  side,  the  obedience  on  a 
woman's. 

«  Was  it  about  your  father?  " 

«  Partly." 

And  presently  it  all  came  out.  The  hundred  little  fears 
shadowing  their  path,  the  question  that  had  become  so  im- 
portant with  her,  —  what  she  should  do,  and  how  she 
should  do  it 


140  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  School  teaching  does  appear  to  be  about  the  only  re 
source  of  an  educated  woman,  unless  she  has  a  special 
genius.  And  it  does  keep  one  fresh,  up  to  a  certain  mark, 
in  acquirements.  But,  my  darling,  I  am  so  sorry  to  see 
you  compelled  to  enter  the  arena  of  toil  and  strife.  If  I 
could  take  you  now  —  " 

"  Don't,"  she  said,  as  if  a  little  pained.  "  You  know  we 
promised  to  abide  by  mamma's  decision." 

tt  And  I  have  hardly  kept  my  promise.  Nay,  Madge," 
with  a  grave  smile,  "wait  until  you  hear;  "for  she  was 
just  ready  to  speak.  "  I  have  confessed  all  to  my  mother." 

"  O  ! "  in  a  relieved  tone. 

"  Yes,  at  last.  I  think  truly  that  we  have  been  trying 
to  wear  out  each  other's  patience.  As  if  she  suspected,  she 
would  not  let  me  talk.  But  coming  home,  I  had  to  make 
some  decision." 

"  And  she  disapproves  ?  "  Madge  cried,  with  the  quick  un- 
reason of  youth. 

"I  will  not  deceive  you,  my  dear  brave  girl.  She  affects 
to  consider  it  merely  a  boyish  fancy.  I  think  the  loss  of 
fortune  does  make  some  difference  with  her,  Madge,  but  I 
do  believe  that  when  she  comes  to  understand  this  as  the 
great  faith  of  my  life,  the  one  crown  of  my  manhood,  she 
will  be  won  into  consenting.  And  since  we  should  have 
to  wait  in  any  event  —  n 

"  I  don't  mind  the  waiting,"  Madge  said,  hurriedly. 

"I  told  mother  that  hitherto  we  had  been  friends  only, 
but  henceforward  it  would  be  an  engagement.  She  was 
qiite  anxious  for  me  to  wait  until  my  return,  but  finally 
she  assented.  O,  Madge !  why  do  you  look  so  grave  f 
Surely  this  is  not  bad  news." 

"Are  you  quite  sure  you  will  never  repent?  I  feel  aa 
if —  I  ought  to  give  it  up.  We  shall  never  be  rich  again, 
as  we  once  were,  and  I  should  be  most  sorry  to  enter  any 
family  where  I  was  not  welcome.  I  see  all  these  things 
in  a  so  much  clearer  light  now.'' 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  141 

"There  is  another  course.  I  thought  if  mother  and 
I  came  to  any  open  controversy,  I  should  take  it  —  that  is, 
to  give  up  my  plans,  accept  a  situation  somewhere,  and 
marry.  Nay,  you  need  not  turn  so  pale  ;  I  was  very  reso- 
lute." 

"  You  shall  not  give  up  your  hopes  for  me,"  she  an- 
swered decisively. 

"  This  is  my  mother's  plan.  I  think  it  does  deserve 
some  consideration.  It  was  her  pet  project  to  go  abroad 
as  soon  as  I  had  graduated.  Now  the  doctor  has  reo- 
ommended  it  for  my  cousin,  who  is  in  delicate  health. 
They  both  want  me,  and  perhaps  need  me  for  a  pro- 
tector ! " 

"And  you  are  going?" 

Madge  gave  a  gasp.  To  be  left  alone  as  it  were,  in  thi§ 
time  of  all  1 

"My  darling,  it  is  as  you  decide.  I  could  go  at  my  law 
studies  immediately,  and  be  near  you ;  or,  as  I  said  before, 
I  can  take  some  position  that  will  enable  me  to  marry 
presently.  If  I  go,  it  is  with  the  undertanding  that  I  am 
engaged  to  you." 

"  O ! "  said  Madge,  "  everything  has  a  dark  and  troubled 
side.  I  wonder  if  it  was  for  the  best?  I  was  so  happy 
that  day,  so  thoughtless ;  but  what  seemed  simple  and 
natural  then,  has  grown  complicated,  until  one  hardly  dares 
move  in  the  matter." 

She  shrank  back  a  little  as  she  uttered  this.  Life  had 
become  so  much  wider  and  more  sacred  in  these  years. 

"  I  do  believe  it  is  for  the  best.  It  does  not  seem  as  if 
God  could  allow  two  persons  to  love  one  another  so  dearly, 
and  not  have  it  come  to  its  highest  joy  some  time.  We 
are  young  and  strong,  and  I  feel  as  if  there  was  a  long  life 
before  us.  Yet,  my  darling,  I  shall  do  nothing  without 
your  consent." 

Madge  was  trying  to  bridge  over  the  commonplace  and 
the  heroic.  It  was  BO  much  easier  to  think  of  sacnfioei 


14ii  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

than  to  make  them.  If  mamma  were  only  here  to  find  the 
right  way  out  of  the  tangle !" 

"I  think  you  ought  to  go,"  she  said,  at  length,  choking 
down  a  little  cry  in  her  throat. 

"  I  will  tell  you  how  it  appears  to  me.  It  is  a  long- 
cherished  plan  of  mother's ;  she  has  talked  of  it  ever  since 
I  can  remember ;  and  as  she  consents  to  our  engagement  on 
that  condition,  it  seems  ungrateful  to  refuse." 

MO1"  and  Madge  brightened.  "Then  she  does  con- 
Bent?" 

"  If  I  keep  my  mind ; "  and  he  smiled  so  assured  of  his 
own  love.  "  It  will  only  be  a  year  or  two,  and  we  can 
correspond." 

"  It  is  not  so  bad  after  all ; "  and  a  rift  of  sunshine  illu- 
mined the  sweet  face. 

"  We  are  to  go  in  June,  so  there  can  be  some  blessed 
weeks,  my  darling.  We  will  keep  them  for  remembrances, 
and  look  forward  to  the  precious  re-union.  O,  Madge, 
you  never  will  doubt  me ! " 

"Doubt  you?  Why,  you  do  not  understand  —  this 
love  is  my  very  life !  Perhaps  being  poor,  and  having 
fewer  resources,  renders  it  a  more  sacred  thing  to  me,  but 
I  never  could  —  love  any  one  again  ; "  and  her  lip  quiv- 
ered. 

He  caught  her  in  his  arms  and  kissed  the  sweet,  flushed 
face  in  a  transport  of  profound  affection. 

"  I  am  going  to  see  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  to-morrow. 
I  want  our  affairs  placed  on  a  firm  basis,  with  the  privilege 
of  considering  you  mine,  and  corresponding  with  you. 
We  are  old  enough  now  to  know  our  own  minds." 

Jessie  returned  at  this  juncture,  and  by  degrees  Madge 
came  out  of  the  spell  that  seemed  to  have  overwhelmed 
her.  Yet  whether  she  was  most  sorry  or  most  glad,  it 
would  have  been  hard  to  tell. 

True  to  his  word,  Charlie  Westlake  saw  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ashburton  the  next  day.  His  straightforward,  earnest 


THE  CKOWN  OP  DUTY.  143 

manner  pleased  them  both.  That  he  was  simere  and  reso- 
lute, they  coull  not  for  a  moment  doubt,  and  to  refuse  to 
sanction  the  engagement  now  seemed  cruel. 

"And  yet  our  daughters  are  not  marrying  under  happy 
auspices,"  said  Mr.  Ashburton,  sadly. 

"This  may  prove  brighter  in  the  end.  I  am  sorry  that 
it  happened,  but  since  neither  he  nor  Madge  change  their 
minds,  there  is  no  excuse  for  breaking  the  claim.  Mrs. 
Westlake  may  feel  less  bitter  and  disappointed  as  the  years 
go  on ;  and  since  we  have  to  walk  blindfold  at  every  step, 
we  will  endeavor  to  bear  the  burdens  sent  upon  us,  trust- 
ing to  see  light  at  last." 

"O,  for  your  blessed  faith,  my  wife  !  For  somehow  the 
way  is  dark,  and  I  seem  to  wander." 

Some  quiet  tears  came  to  Mrs.  Ashburton's  eyes.  Of 
late  her  husband  had  grown  very  much  depressed,  more 
so  than  during  their  first  sharp  losses. 

Charlie  Westlake  had  softened  the  truth  in  some  par- 
ticulars, and  withheld  one  fact,  that  might,  perhaps,  have 
thrown  a  little  light  upon  later  events.  Yet  he  did  it 
from  a  tender  and  honest  humility.  How  could  he  con- 
fess that  his  mother  had  declared  his  cousin  May's  life 
was  centred  in  her  love  for  him?  He  fancied  if  May's 
penchant  were  worn  out  by  mere  cousinly  kindness,  or  if 
she  should  be  attracted  elsewhere  during  their  tour,  Mrs. 
Westlake  would  consent  the  more  readily  to  receive 
Madge  as  a  daughter.  Then  his  mother's  almost  kind 
compliance  to  his  wishes  softened  in  his  mind  her  first 
bitter  opposition,  and  he  was  too  loyal  a  son  to  say  aught 
more  than  the  circumstances  required. 

To  Madge,  after  the  first  excitement  was  over,  there 
came  a  bright  holiday  indeed.  Because  the  period  was 
so  brief,  Charlie  felt  disposed  to  make  the  most  of  it.  He 
brought  the  girls  flowers,  he  persuaded  Philip  to  "  beg  ofljt 
and  take  two  or  three  delightful  drives  with  them,  and  then 
there  were  dainty  little  suppers  that  were  like  fessie'a 
own  self. 


144  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

For  this  young  lover  seemed  to  add  one  to  the  family, 
His  coming  never  made  any  break.  Jessie  sat  and  sewed 
while  they  discoursed  of  future  plans,  for  nothing  concern- 
ing Madge  was  a  secret. 

u  I  shall  hunt  up  your  sister,"  he  said,  "  and  maybe  bring 
her  home  with  me.  You  never  would  believe,"  with  a 
gay  smile>  "  that  I  was  always  half  afraid  of  Miss  Ash- 
burton." 

"  Poor  Nelly,"  rejoined  Madge.  "  How  glad  we  should 
be  to  see  her ! " 

They  always  spoke  of  her  in  this  fashion  now.  Her 
letters  had  grown  gradually  grave  —  there  was  less  trav- 
elling about,  fewer  pleasures,  it  seemed,  but  always  baby 
Margaret.  Had  the  coming  of  the  little  one  rendered  El- 
eanor so  serious,  or  was  the  glamour  of  life  slowly  fading 
away  ?  She  said  nothing  of  a  return,  but  still  she  uttered 
no  complaint  of  loneliness,  lack  of  tender  care,  or  any 
sorrow.  Yet  sometimes  they  feared  that  she  was  not 
happy. 

"  O,  if  you  will  find  her  1 "  Jessie  replied.  "  And  if  she 
would  come  back ! " 

So  they  freighted  him  with  dozens  of  loving  messages. 
Every  day  the  year  of  separation  appeared  to  grow 
shorter.  There  would  be  all  the  letters,  with  no  restric- 
tion upon  them,  the  joy  of  a  return,  and  then  the  work- 
ing present  stretching  smooth  and  level,  so  much  to  be 
done,  so  much  to  be  gained,  and  home  and  love  at  the 
end ! 

Ah!  how  many  bright  dreams  have  blossomed  on  tins 
wise  and  faded  1  When  the  sheaves  are  gathered  at  lust, 
out  of  more  than  one  will  drop  a  withered  flower,  and 
God  knowing  the  many  tears  that  fell  over  it,  may  set 
to  bloom  in  fairer  fields. 

At  last  came  the  good  by,  spoken  amid  quivering  sobs. 
How  hard  it  was !  And  in  this  pang  the  year  stretched 
out  again.  All  that  had  gone  before  was  child's  play ;  but 


THE  CROWN  OV  DUTY.  146 

now  Madge  Ashburton  felt  that  she  loved  with  a  woman's 
love,  and  to  her  deeper  nature  any  pang  would  be  doubly 
bitter. 

Jessie  took  her  in  her  arms  and  kissed  her,  for  Jessie 
could  always  comfort 
10 


116  HOM«  NOOK,  OB 


CHAPTER  XIL 

IN   THB    SHADOW. 

IT  was  a  cool  day,  late  in  August,  with  a  wind  blowing 
up  from  the  sea.  The  very  air  had  a.  salt,  suggestive 
smell  as  it  went  moaning  through  the  streets,  n  whisper  of 
storm,  and  danger,  and  wreck.  Overhead,  the  sky  was 
gray  and  lowering;  a  cheerless  prospect  indeed. 

Madge  had  made  a  handful  of  fire  in  the  grate.  Again 
they  were  watching  for  the  travellers  to  return  home. 

It  looked  bright  enough  within,  and  the  pungent  fra- 
grance of  heliotrope  gave  a  summer  flavor  to  the  air. 
Madge  had  brought  out  some  gay  wools,  and  was  crochet- 
ing ;  Jessie  had  a  trifle  of  simple  sewing  in  her  hands,  and 
both  were  watching.  They  had  grown  strangely  silent  in 
these  few  weeks. 

Presently  they  started  at  the  sound  of  carriage  wheels. 
There  they  were,  mamma,  papa,  and  Philip. 

The  first  greeting  was  in  the  hall.  Mr.  Ashburton  came 
in,  leaning  on  his  son's  arm.  In  some  respects  he  had  im- 
proved. He  was  not  so  thin,  and  the  deathly  pallor  had 
given  place  to  a  more  healthy  color.  Yet  Jessie  remarked 
that  strange  listening,  as  if  to  catch  the  faintest  sound, 
and  the  unusual  habit  of  putting  his  hand  before  him,  as  if 
he  was  not  quite  certain  of  the  next  step.  What  was  this 
wavering  and  hesitation  ?  —  weakness  ? 

She  ran  out  to  the  little  kitchen,  and  made  the  tea. 
The  table  was  in  neatest  array.  She  meant  it  should  be  a 
kind  of  welcome  feast,  and  had  indulged  in  a  few  luxuries. 
Then,  smiling  to  herself  she  summoned  the  household. 

There  was  some  pleasant  talk  of  the  summer's  enjoy- 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  147 

ment,  and  yet  a  strange  awe  seemed  to  have  fallen  over 
them,  betrayed  in  the  low  tones  and  frequent  pauses. 
Jessie  glanced  at  them  all  with  startled  eyes. 

Madge  was  passing  something  to  her  father  and  answer- 
ing Philip  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Ashburton  stretched  out 
his  thin  fingers  uncertainly,  and  his  eyes  appeared  to  wan- 
der, Jessie  caught  them  just  in  range  of  the  lamp.  The 
pnpils  seemed  to  move  slowly  in  a  dim  sea. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  with  an  air  of  relief,  helping  himself. 
"  Thank  you,  my  dear." 

Jessie  glanced  at  her  mother  in  a  dumb,  white  terror. 
Her  very  throat  was  constricted  by  a  spasm  of  anguish. 
O,  could  her  terrible  suspicion  be  true  ? 

Mrs.  Ashburton  answered  her  with  a  pathetic,  entreating 
look.  For  an  instant,  Jessie  felt  tempted  to  cry  out  in 
despair.  Was  there  no  end  to  the  burdens,  but  must  all 
the  waves  and  storms  sweep  over  them  ? 

They  rose  presently,  and  went  back  to  the  cheerful  par- 
lor. Madge  roused  into  a  flash  of  olden  gayety.  Jessie 
caught  her  mother's  hand,  and  smothered  a  little  cry. 

"  He  does  not  know ; "  in  a  breathless  whisper. 

"  I  think  he  is  fighting  against  it.  He  has  not  been  so 
bad ;  at  least  everything  here  is  quite  new,  and  it  shows 
more." 

"  O,  mamma ! " 

Mr.  Ashburton  had  stumbled  over  a  chair. 

"  How  awkward !  Jessie,  my  dear,  I  like  a  good  deal 
of  light,  and  the  fire  alone  will  not  suffice  for  old  eyes." 

"Why,  here  is  the  lamp!"  said  Madge,  turning  to  the 
low  burner  that  stood  on  the  centre-table. 

He  seemed  to  listen.  Standing  there,  he  looked  such  a 
pale,  shattered  wreck,  the  color  gone  out  of  his  cheek, 
and  his  lip  quivering.  And  then  he  turned  wrongly.  The 
child  clasped  him  with  her  outstretched  arms. 

•'  O,  papa ! "  with  a  half-strangled  and  pathetic  wail, 
each  rapid  pulse  throbbing  with  a  new  pang. 


148  HOME  NOOK,   OE 

"  God  help  me !   I  believe  I  am  going  blind  ! " 

Madge  led  him  to  a  seat,  as  if  he  had  been  a  child 
Jessie  tried  vainly  to  choke  her  sob  before  it  rose  to  her 
lips. 

"  My  dear  ones,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  said,  like  an  angel  it 
seemed  to  them  in  the  midst  of  their  passionate  grief, 
«  God  still  careth  for  us." 

"O,  does  he,  mamma?"  was  Madge's  vehement  ques- 
tion. "  Then  why  did  he  send  this  ?  Did  not  poor  papa 
have  enough  to  endure  in  his  losses  and  his  ill  health  ?  It 
is  so  very,  very  hard  ! " 

"  He  will  help  us  bear  it.     He  has  promised." 

"  But  if  He  is  so  strong  and  all-powerful,  and  cares  for 
us  when  we  suffer,  why  could  He  not  have  helped  it  ?  I 
don't  understand  —  " 

"My  darling,"  in  a  tremulous  voice,  that  came  over 
waves  of  grief,  "  none  of  us  do.  We  should  be  all-wise  if 
we  did  —  sufficient  for  ourselves." 

"  Papa ! "  Jessie  found  her  father's  face  half  hidden  on 
the  pillow,  and  kissed  it  amid  tears.  The  soft,  true  arms 
encircled  him,  but  ah  !  they  could  not  shut  out  that  terri- 
ble knowledge. 

He  raised  his  head  at  length,  and  the  frail  figure  seemed 
to  sway  to  and  fro  in  its  strong  passion,  its  bitter  sense  of 
loss. 

"  My  children,"  he  exclaimed,  "  the  hand  of  God  is  laid 
heavily  upon  me.  I  meant,  years  ago,  to  make  your  young 
lives  bright  with  choicest  blessings;  but  instead  I  have 
added  griefs  and  burdens.  I  am  a  poor,  helpless,  blind 
old  man.  All  I  ask  now  is,  that  Heaven  will  pity  me  a 
little,  and  take  me  to  my  final  rest.  It  cannot  come  too 
soon." 

No,  fearful  as  this  was,  death  and  separation  would 
bring  still  keener  anguish.  They  clustered  about  him ;  he 
felt  the  hands  so  gentle,  the  hands  so  strong,  and  let  the 
silence  pass  unquestioned,  knowing  well  what  was  in  «ach 
heart. 


THE  CKOWN  OP  DUTY.  149 

The  business  of  life  must  go  on  in  spite  of  sorrow. 
Perhaps  it  is  as  well.  Brooding  over  loss  and  pain  can 
but  deepen  the  intensity,  and  it  is  God's  will  that  wo 
should  see  a  golden  edge  to  the  cloud  that  overshadows  us. 
For,  behind  it,  is  his  infinite  glory. 

The  Ashburtons  took  up  their  duties  the  next  morning 
with  brave,  sad  hearts.  Jessie.  Madge,  and  Philip  break- 
fasted together. 

"Perhaps  something  can  be  done,"  said  Philip,  hope- 
fully. "  There  are  many  successful  operations." 

"  I  think  it  has  been  coming  on  a  long  while,"  remarked 
Jessie.  "But  mamma  says  he  has  been  so  sensitive  all 
summer  to  the  least  allusion  concerning  his  sight,  that  she 
never  dared  breathe  a  suspicion." 

"  I  mean  to  send  up  Dr.  Con  way." 

"  Not  yet,"  answered  Jessie.  "  Let  him  recover  a  little 
from  the  shock." 

"  Everything  in  the  shape  of  misfortune  happens  to  us," 
said  Madge.  "I  wonder  what  will  go  next." 

They  thought  of  Clement,  their  tower  of  earthly 
strength. 

"  It  will  be  sad  news  for  him,"  said  Philip.  "  Ah,  how 
happy  we  were  when  Clement  went  away ! " 

A  few  days  afterward  Dr.  Conway  called.  Mr.  Ash- 
burton  was  extremely  dispirited,  but  yielded  to  the 
examination  without  a  word.  After  all,  what  did  it  mat- 
ter ?  Life  must  soon  be  over  with  him,  he  thought.  A 
little  longer  carrying  about  this  heavy  burden,  and  then 
he  would  lay  it  down  thankfully.  The  end  could  not 
come  too  soon. 

"  It  is  a  sad  affair,"  the  doctor  exclaimed,  with  unwonted 
tenderness.  "It  would  have  been  better  if  you  had  not 
used  your  eyes  so  rigorously  last  year.  You  were  too 
weak  in  brain  and  nerve.  And  this  is  cataract." 

"  I  did  not  like  the  way  he  took  it,"  Dr.  Conway  said 
to  Philip  afterwards.  "You  must  all  cheer  him  up, 


150  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

and  not  let  him  lose  his  strength.  The  film  is  going  verj 
rapidly  over  one  eye,  and  the  other  is  a  good  deal  affected  ; 
but  perhaps  in  a  year  or  two  he  will  be  ready  for  an  opera, 
tion." 

"  Thank  you,"  Philip  answered  with  a  gasp. 

"  Your  brother  is  prospering  —  is  he  not,  Ashburton  ?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  quiet  reply. 

"Intends  to  make  a  fortune,  and  then  return,  I  suppose." 

"  He  hopes  to  ; "  and  Philip  gave  a  faint  smile. 

"You  must  all  keep  heart.  When  matters  touch  the 
worst  point,  they  begin  to  mend.  You  are  young  and 
brave." 

"  I  shall  do  my  best." 

It  seemed  to  them  at  times  as  if  all  comfort  was  weari- 
some. Profound  griefs  and  passions  seek  solitude  natural- 
ly, and  they  had  fallen  out  of  the  old  circle,  drifted  so  far, 
indeed,  that  the  world  had  begun  to  forget  them,  and  new 
voices,  even  in  sympathy,  sounded  strange. 

Madge  started  with  much  energy  to  take  her  place  in 
the  ranks.  It  was  not  as  pleasant  as  the  romance  concern- 
ing work.  For  though  she  preferred  her  application,  and 
entered  the  normal  school  as  a  pupil,  nothing  seemed  to 
come  of  it.  Then  she  answered  two  or  three  advertise- 
ments for  a  daily  governess,  but  in  every  case  she  was  too 
young. 

"  It  is  hard  not  to  find  anything  to  do  when  one  is  will- 
ing  to  work,"  she  said,  tearfully.  "  If  I  could  meet  with 
something  else  —  indeed,  I  have  half  a  mind  to  take  in 
dress-making." 

Jessie  smiled.  "  I  am  afraid  you  have  not  much  genius 
for  that." 

"No.     And  then,  I  do  not  like  sewing.     Besides — " 

Madge  did  not  finish  her  sentence.  There  was  a  fine 
chord  of  sensitiveness  in  it  that  she  could  not  quite  ex- 
plain, even  to  Jessie.  It  was  not  only  herself  that  she 
must  think  of,  but,  Mrs.  Westlake's  future  daughter-in-law. 


THE  CBOWN   OF  DUTY.  151 

To  be  lowered  in  the  social  scale  would  be  worse  than  tha 
burden  of  poverty. 

"Though  I  do  not  see  why  all  employments  are  not 
equally  honorable,"  she  continued,  after  a  long  pause. 

"  Why  ?  are  they  not  ? "  and  Jessie  glanced  up  in  sur- 
prise. 

"Did  I  utter  a  heresy?  Well,  I  have  been  studying 
the  subject  of  late.  If  I  could  write  a  book  or  paint  a 
picture,  it  would  not  be  considered  derogatory  to  any 
position.  If  we  should  attain  to  any  prosperity  in  the 
future,  that  would  be  so  much  of  a  triumph  to  me ;  but 
many  other  employments  might  be  mentioned  to  my  dis- 
favor. Yet,  in  both  cases,  my  motive  would  be  to  earn 
money." 

"  It  does  not  seem  right  to  me  to  condemn  any  person 
who  has  labored  honorably  and  faithfully,"  Jessie  returned, 
with  a  thoughtful  air  "Only,  I  think,  some  employments 
presuppose  education  and  refinement,  and  others  do  not. 
Is  not  that  the  true  dividing-line?" 

"But  why  not  make  the  refinement  centre  in  the  person, 
instead  of  the  business  ?  " 

There  was  a  puzzled  look  in  the  young  face.  It  was  a 
grave  question  that  she  could  not  seem  to  simplify  nor 
answer. 

"  I  think  it  does,"  Jessie  said,  slowly. 

"But  the  reputation  of  it  surely  does  not.  You  remem- 
ber how  Nelly  once  scouted  my  going  in  a  store.  And  if 
I  did  that,  or  sewed,  or  took  up  any  of  the  minor  occupa- 
tions, somebody  would  remember  it  with  a  little  sneer.  I 
suppose,  when  we  lived  at  dear  old  Home  Nook  we  did 
not  think  of  being  intimate  friends  with  our  dress-maker, 
or  any  of  the  people  who  worked  for  us." 

"  Yet  we  could  always  be  kind  and  polite." 

"We  were.  It  never  was  mamma's  nature  to  be 
haughty  to  any  one.  But  Nelly,  you  know,  always  held 
herself  regally  above  such  associations.  She  used  to  bo 
troubled  about  the  attention  yon  paid  to  poor  people." 


152  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

Jessie  smiled  gravely. 

"Poverty  and  pride  never  did  agree,"  Madge  went  on 
with  something  of  the  old  brightness.  "  Yet  I  do  not  feel 
proud  —  for  myself.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  won- 
derfully entertaining  to  find  a  place  as  saleswoman  in  a 
millinery  store.  I  should  like  it  a  hundred  times  better 
than  teaching  school.  But  I  am  afraid  that  even  Charlie 
would  not  approve,  and  Mrs.  Westlake  would  consider  me 
irremediably  disgraced.  Yet  I  should  be  just  as  good,  just 
as  pure-minded,  just  as  refined,  and,  it  seems  to  me,  equally 
worthy  of  every  one's  regard." 

"And  all  right-minded  persons  would  think  so,"  re- 
sponded Jessie  warmly. 

"May  be  I  am  looking  at  matters  with  over  critical 
eyes ;  but  the  world  seems  hard  and  unjust  to  me,  and  you 
always  have  to  be  keeping  up  small  shams  when  the  truth 
would  be  so  much  more  comfortable.  Only  all  these  out- 
side events  and  little  slights  prick  and  pain  you,  until  it 
appears  as  if  there  was  not  one  invulnerable  spot." 

Jessie  remembered  the  day  Mrs.  Westlake  and  her 
niece  passed  her,  they  in  their  elegant  carriage,  and  she  in 
the  dawn  of  family  misfortunes.  And  it  seemed  a  rather 
sad  and  uncomfortable  thing  that  Charlie  had  spoken, 
sweet  as  it  was  for  Madge  to  have  the  love. 

"  It  is  a  tangled  and  knotty  problem,"  she  made  answer, 
softly.  "I  do  not  know  that  I  blame  rich  people  for 
desiring  to  shut  out  the  uncultured  and  commonplace,  with 
which  they  can  have  so  little  sympathy  and  no  enjoyment, 
even  if  it  does  exclude  the  poor  who  could  be  their  com- 
panions in  point  of  intellect  and  education." 

"  So,  it  is  wealth,  after  all." 

"But  there  are  some  noble  exceptions." 

"Jessie,"  said  Madge,  after  a  long  pause,  during  which 
ber  eyes  slowly  filled  with  tears,  "it  must  always  be  a 
great  comfort  to  you  and  mamma  to  think  that  while  you 
were  prosperous  you  tried  to  make  others  happy,  and 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  153 

shared  your  good  fortune  with  them.  And  if  we  had 
some  kind  friend  now  —  " 

"We  are  going  through  dark  days,  my  darling;  and  yet 
it  seems  as  if  there  was  something  to  hope  for  in  the 
end." 

"  I  believe  I  am  a  coward  !  I  sometimes  feel  like  crying 
out  with  the  Psalmist,  'Hide  me  until  these  storms  are 
overpast,'  instead  of  fighting  my  way  through.  It  is  well 
that  men  are  seldom  perplexed  with  the  thought  of  what 
is  respectable  or  genteel ! " 

Poor  Madge  !  The  way  did  indeed  seem  full  of  thorns. 
And  yet  she  had  fancied  that  her  regret  for  the  lost  wealth 
would  be  less  than  that  of  the  others.  She  had  been 
anxious  to  come  to  the  time  when  she  might  assist  in  not 
only  bearing  the  burden  of  cares,  but  in  making  them 
lighter.  And  now  why  should  she  shrink  away  weakly  ? 

Philip  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  gave  their  verdict  in  favor 
of  the  school. 

"  It  will  keep  you  in  a  kind  of  intellectual  discipline," 
her  mother  said.  "You  will  not  only  remember  your 
present  acquirements,  but  make  some  further  improve- 
ment, I  hope.  And  there  ought  to  be  a  pleasure  in 
performing  any  duty  well." 

"But  I  feel  as  if  I  had  no  taste  for  it,"  still  complained 
the  child,  for  child  she  was. 

Philip  was  quite  urgent.  It  did  wound  his  pride  a  little 
—  that  ultra-sensitiveness  of  a  refined  young  man,  in  re- 
gard to  his  sisters  —  that  Madge  should  be  compelled  to 
take  her  place  among  the  workers.  But  Jessie  was  more 
efficient  at  home,  and  her  sweet  thoughtfulness  was  just 
what  Mr.  Ashburton  needed  in  his  hours  of  despondency. 
Madge  could  best  be  spared  —  indeed,  her  assistance  was 
not  required  in  the  management  of  household  affairs. 

After  waiting  until  she  became  almost  discouraged, 
Madge  at  length  received  an  appointment.  To  be  sure 
the  salary  was  not  very  large,  —  three  hundred  and  fifty 


154  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

the  first  year,  —  yet  it  looked  like  quite  a  little  fortune  to 
her,  and  she  went  at  her  work  with  a  really  thankful 
heart. 

And  yet,  as  she  had  said,  it  was  not  much  to  her  taste. 
She  had  an  extravagant  fondness  for  pretty,  bright,  well- 
kept  children,  who  needed  only  to  be  entertained  with 
games,  stories,  or  music ;  but  to  be  held  responsible  for 
their  intellectual  well-being,  to  be  patient  with  stupidity, 
disobedience,  deceit,  and  the  many  wayward  moods  of  the 
little  ones,  taxed  every  nerve  to  the  farthest  verge  of 
endurance. 

Yet  there  were  some  pleasures  to  her  life.  The  happi- 
ness it  gave  her  to  be  able  to  contribute  her  mite  to  the 
household  was  deep  and  fervent.  Some  luxury  for  papa, 
a  tiny  cluster  of  flowers  for  Jessie,  or  any  simple  gift,  was 
an  exquisite  joy  to  her,  as  springing  from  the  toil  to  which 
she  bent  her  restless  soul;  and  then  Charlie  Westlake's 
letters  cheered  her  immeasurably.  True,  Eleanor  had 
gone  over  the  same  route,  but  everything  was  new  seen 
through  his  eyes.  There  was  gay  Paris  with  its  throngs 
of  people,  among  whom  Mrs.  Weetlake  found  many 
friends,  and  May  Rossiter  hosts  of  admirers ;  indeed,  her 
pure  blonde  beauty  made  her  quite  the  sensation  of  the 
winter.  There  were  palaces,  libraries,  pictures,  and  rare 
old  historical  haunts  to  examine ;  and  for  diversion,  drives, 
dinner-parties,  skating,  in  which  Charlie  distinguished  him- 
self, and  the  many  varieties  of  Parisian  life.  He  possessed 
very  vivid  and  accurate  powers  of  description,  and  the  fre- 
quent letters  were  a  real  treat  to  them  all  in  their  quiet 
life. 

The  summer  was  to  be  spent  in  Switzerland.  And  there 
were  the  capitals  of  Germany,  Vienna,  Rome,  and  all  the 
British  dominions  unexplored. 

"Though  I  want  to  save  something  to  visit  for  the  first 
time  with  you,"  he  wrote,  "  and  if  it  is  possible  I  shall  not 
exceed  my  year.  Yet  I  find  a  little  time  to  study,  ir.  the 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY. 

hope  of  not  having  quite  so  much  to  make  up  when  I 
return." 

And  then  the  spring  came.  In  spite  of  hard  times  and 
general  depression,  rents,  it  seemed,  were  continually  on 
the  advance.  This  season  another  fifty  dollars  was  added 
Madge  and  Jessie  went  through  with  the  same  routine  of 
house-hunting,  with  the  success  of  the  year  before.  There 
was  nothing  cheaper  for  a  small  family,  unless  one  took 
some  inconvenient  rooms  in  a  house  with  several  othei 
families ;  and  now  this  appeared  quite  impossible. 

Mr.  Ashburton's  blindness  increased  slowly  but  surely ; 
yet  his  general  health  appeared  to  improve.  He  became 
more  cheerful,  as  one  does  occasionally  under  an  inevitable 
burden.  He  could  find  his  way  around  alone,  though  Mrs. 
Ashburton  or  Jessie  generally  accompanied  him  in  his 
walks.  And  as  the  pleasant  weather  came  on,  he  used  to 
sit  in  the  old  arbor,  where  the  soft  sunshine  seemed  sift- 
ing grains  of  gold  on  his  fast  whitening  hair.  Looking 
at  him  thus,  it  appeared  to  Jessie  that  he  was  already 
crowned. 

They  were  all  glad  when  Madge's  vacation  came.  The 
poor  child  had  lost  the  glow  and  brightness  of  her  child- 
hood, and  the  careless,  impulsive  manner  was  softening 
into  a  gravity  so  tender  that  it  was  almost  sad.  Now  she 
had  a  thin,  worn  look. 

"But  then,  you  see,  I  am  growing  quite  slender,"  she 
said,  with  a  touch  of  the  old  gayety  that  rarely  flashed 
out.  "  Aunt  Waltham  always  insisted  that  I  would  be 
st  out,  and  have  no  figure  at  all.  How  she  would  be  sur- 
prised ! " 

For  Madge  had  expanded  into  tall  and  graceful  woman- 
hood —  quite  outgrown  Jessie,  who  would  always  be  a 
wayside  violet,  with  her  shady  eyes  and  hair. 

She  was  rather  jubilant  now,  having  been  promoted  and 
her  salary  raised  to  five  hundred  for  the  corning  year. 

"It   seems  to  me  that  Madge  ought  to  take  a  little 


156  HOME  NOOK,   OR 

journey  somewhere,"  Philip  said,  rather  anxiously.  "  Sh« 
betrays  the  hard  work  of  the  year." 

"I  only  need  a  little  rest  and  quiet,  and  I  can  have  it 
here  with  mamma  and  Jessie.  If  I  went  away,  I  should 
want  to  take  them  all  along." 

"  You  can  hardly  realize  the  bliss  of  this  perfect  repose," 
she  remarked  to  Jessie  afterwards;  "not  to  have  your 
eyes  everywhere  in  a  moment,  not  to  be  thinking  endlessly 
what  you  must  do  with  this  child  and  that,  how  you  can 
infuse  ambition  into  the  dullest  brain,  memory  into  the 
careless,  govern  your  little  world,  and  at  the  same  time 
govern  yourself." 

"  I  am  so  thankful  to  have  you  come  to  the  rest.  Now 
you  must  be  indulged  to  the  utmost." 

"But  not  enough  to  make  me  weak  for  the  years  to 
come." 

"  I  think  you  grow  stronger,  mentally." 

"Do  you?  I  am  glad  if  any  one  finds  any  improve- 
ment in  me,  for  sometimes  I  begin  to  fancy  myself  desti- 
tute of  any  grace  or  virtue.  Jessie,  how  hard  it  is  to  bear 
the  petty  trials  of  life !  A  great  sorrow  or  a  great  sacri- 
fice seems  to  bring  with  it  the  necessary  courage  and  en- 
durance, but  for  these  little  things  there  is  —  nothing ! " 

"Yes,  God's  grace,"  replied  the  soft  voice. 

"I  sometimes  wonder  if  I  have  any  of  it.  I  don't  sup- 
pose I  should  ever  cheat  or  deceive,  or  commit  any  great 
crime,  because  all  those  things  are  distasteful  to  me,  and 
fill  my  soul  with  abhorrence.  So  that  quality  is  merely  a 
negative  virtue.  But  the  little  things  I  rebel  against 
continually." 

"  Yet  you  have  grown  so  much  less  demonstrative ! " 
said  Jessie,  wonderingly. 

"Yes.  I  have  given  up  the  old  breezy  manner  in  which 
I  used  to  fight  dragons ;  still,  I  think  that  is  owing  to 
circumstances.  A  peculiar  awe  has  fallen  over  us  with  the 
misfortunes,  and  therefore  noise  of  any  kind  appears  ii* 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  157 

congruous ;  besides,  I  have  come  to  love  quiet.  Bat  there 
are  so  many  things  that  I  don't  understand  —  ray  own 
soul  least  of  all." 

Jessie  wondered  if  the  recent  news  had  anything  to  do 
with  this.  For  Charlie  "Westlake  had  decided  to  remain 
abroad  another  year.  May  was  really  worse  after  her  win- 
ter of  dissipation,  and  they  had  determined  to  spend  the 
ensuing  winter  at  Naples.  Mrs.  Westlake  would  not  be 
left  alone,  and  Charlie  felt  it  his  duty  to  stay. 

So  that  added  another  year  to  the  waiting.  Then  the 
accounts  from  Clement  had  not  been  so  bright.  The  firm 
had  met  with  some  serious  losses  in  shipping,  owing  to 
the  unfortunate  state  into  which  the  war  had  plunged  all 
commercial  affairs. 

"  I  hoped  to  return  in  five  years,"  he  wrote,  "  but  I  find 
the  period  had  better  be  extended  to  seven,  as  when  I 
once  reach  home,  I  shall  never  want  to  leave  it,  I  fancy. 
I  often  picture  the  household  again  at  Home  Nook,  little 
changed,  except  the  inevitable  change  of  growing  older ; 
yet  I  can  hardly  realize  that  Madge  and  Jessie  have 
reached  woman's  estate.  Ah,  if  Heaven  will  only  spare 
us  to  see  each  other's  faces  and  clasp  each  other's  hands,  I 
shall  be  content." 

Mr.  Ashburton  had  insisted  that  the  fact  of  his  blind- 
ness should  be  withheld  from  Clement. 

"He  grieved  sorely  enough  for  all  other  misfortunes, 
and  it  can  do  no  good  to  add  this  care  to  those  which 
already  oppress  him,"  the  father  said. 

Madge  was  resolute,  and  would  take  no  journey,  though 
she  did  seem  to  improve  at  home.  Jessie  could  not  even 
persuade  her  to  spend  a  few  days  at  Riverside ;  so  she  paid 
her  promised  visit  alone. 

A  sweet,  sad  pleasure.  There  had  been  some  changes 
at  Riverside  as  well.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kenneth  had  gone 
away,  and  another  clergyman  had  come  in  his  place. 
New  houses  had  started  up  here  and  there,  bringing  ia 


158  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

strange  residents;  the  handsome  Westlake  mansion  wag 
closed,  though  the  grounds  were  still  kept  in  perfect  order 
by  the  gardener  left  in  charge.  And  there  was  dear  old 
Home  Nook !  It  was  a  comfort  to  see  no  alterations 
made  here.  And  yet  Jessie  sighed.  The  thought  of 
coming  back  began  to  grow  dream-like  indeed. 

Hetty  Bright  welcomed  her  warmly.  It  was  quite  evi- 
dent that  Mrs.  Rachel  was  failing  slowly,  but  her  faith  and 
resignation  were  still  delightful  to  witness. 

Hetty  told  her  all  the  gossip  of  the  place  —  who  were 
gone  away,  who  were  married,  how  the  church  was  filled 
with  new  faces,  and  the  strange  clergyman,  who,  good  as 
he  was,  could  never  be  Mr.  Kenneth.  Old  Mrs.  Deane 
was  still  alive,  tormenting  her  daughter-in-law. 

"I've  been  thinking  that  if  I  were  a  rich  woman,  I 
should  open  a  sort  of  home  for  these  queer  people,  who 
make  every  one  so  miserable  about  them,  and  for  poor 
people  who  have  no  homes,"  said  Hetty.  "It  would  be  a 
deed  of  Christian  charity." 

"Indeed  it  would,"  returned  Jessie,  warmly. 

"There  is  poor  Bessie  Deane  worn  to  a  shadow,  and  she 
will  be  badgered  into  her  grave  by  that  unreasonable  old 
woman  !  It  doesn't  seem  to  me  that  parents  have  a  right 
to  torment  their  children,  even  if  they  did  take  care  of 
them  when  they  were  young  and  helpless ! " 

Jessie  thought  of  her  father  enduring  his  trials  with 
silent  grace,  and  inwardly  gave  thanks.  Yes,  their  lot 
might  be  much  worse. 

And  in  talking  over  the  old  neighbors,  Hetty  presently 
came  to  the  Westlakes. 

"They're  having  a  gay  time,  I  heard.  Miss  Dixon, 
their  dress-maker,  you  remember,  was  in  here  a  few  daya 
ago,  and  said  that  Miss  Rossiter  had  lovers  by  the  dozens. 
and  might  have  been  a  countess,  or  duchess,  or  something, 
but  that  she  was  in  love  with  her  cousin,  and  Madam  does 
not  want  the  fortune  to  go  out  of  the  family.  They  think 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  159 

Miss  Rossiter  is  rather  consumptive  ;  but  it  is  .my  opinion 
that  it  comes  of  racing  and  racketing  around,  aud  going 
to  balls  every  night.  It  would  wear  out  any  woman,  un- 
less she  was  made  of  iron." 

"May  always  appeared  to  be  rather  delicate,"  said 
Jessie,  simply. 

"It  doesn't  seem  to  me  very  sensible  to  go  away  for 
one's  health,  and  endure  twice  the  hardships  one  would  at 
home !  But  that's  rich  people's  pleasure,  I  suppose. 
They  are  going  to  be  married  before  they  come  home." 

«  They  1    Who  ?  "  gasped  Jessie. 

"Why,  young  Mr.  Westlake  and  Miss  May.  At  least 
so  Miss  Dixon  said,  and  she  hears  from  Mrs.  Westlake. 
It  seems  so  strange !  Only  the  other  day  you  were  all 
children,  and  now  he  has  grown  into  a  fine  young  fellow. 
He  used  to  drop  in  here  and  talk  over  old  times,  when  you 
were  all  living  at  Home  Nook.  He  thinks  a  deal  of  you 
and  Madge.  I  should  be  sorry  to  see  him  thrown  away 
upon  that  Rossiter  girl,  if  she  has  a  mint  of  money." 

"Hetty,"  exclaimed  her  sister, gently,  "it  is  no  business 
of  ours,  you  know." 

"To  be  sure  not;  and  yet,  now  that  I  suppose  it  never 
will  be,  I  may  as  well  confess  that  I  had  a  half  hope  he 
would  take  a  fancy  to  Jessie  here,  for  I  know  he  did  like 
her  wonderfully !  There,  the  murder  is  out ! " 

Miss  Hetty  dropped  her  duster,  and  Mrs.  Rachel  gave 
Jessie  a  tender,  comforting  glance. 

"O,  Hetty!  How  could  you  be  so  thoughtless?"  she 
said,  in  a  voice  of  soft  reproof. 

fc  I'm  sure  Jessie  is  deserving  of  the  best  fortune  in  the 
world." 

"  He  nfcvei  thought  of  me  in  that  manner,"  said  Jessie, 
calmly ;  thankful  that  it  was  she,  and  not  Madge,  who  was 
suspected. 

"Well,  then  he  may  marry  whomsoever  he  likes,"  re- 
turned Miss  Hetty,  stiffly. 


1(30  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Jessie  tried  to  banish  the  strange  heat  and  color  from 
her  face,  and  bring  her  nerves  back  to  their  former  calm- 
ness. After  all,  this  was  the  merest  gossip,  and  Misa 
Dixon  might  have  surmised  it.  Charlie  was  noble  and 
true,  loyal  to  the  heart's  core,  and  Madge  should  not  first 
learn  distrust  through  her.  So  it  was  best  not  to  men- 
tion it. 

Indeed,  Charlie  Westlake's  letters  had  become  a  great 
solace  to  Madge,  —  not  merely  for  the  pleasant  break  they 
made  in  the  monotony  of  her  life,  but  the  clinging, 
dependent  part  of  her  nature  sent  out  its  tiny  tendrils 
towards  him  in  search  of  support, — her  one  delightful 
oasis  in  the  life  that  bordered  closely  on  the  desert,  if  it 
was  not  actually  there  ;  for  it  appeared  as  if  at  every  step 
she  sank  in  the  harsh,  gray  sand,  while  sharp,  cutting 
winds  blew  about  on  every  side.  And  yet  it  seemed  only 
yesterday  that  she  was  a  happy  child. 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  161 


CHAPTER  XTTT. 

PHILIP. 

ONE  chilly  December  afternoon,  Philip  surprised  them 
all  by  returning  home  earlier  than  usual.  His  face  was 
flushed,  his  eyes  feverish  and  haggard,  and  the  lines  about 
his  mouth  tensely  drawn,  as  if  he  were  fighting  hard  with 
an  unseen  enemy. 

Jessie  sprang  up  in  alarm. 

"  Hush,"  Philip  said,  softly.  "  I  am  not  well,  to  be  sure, 
and  could  not  see  with  this  splitting  headache ;  so  I  thought 
I  would  come  home.  I  have  been  working  pretty  hard 
for  the  last  fortnight,  and  taken  some  cold ;  but  a  little  rest 
will  set  me  all  straight  again." 

He  spoke  cheerfully,  but  there  was  a  tremuloueness  in 
his  voice,  and  Jessie  remarked  the  shiver  that  ran  through 
bis  frame. 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  get  for  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,  my  dear  child.  I  want  to  lie  down  here  on  the 
sofa  and  be  covered  nice  and  warm.  Don't  look  so 
frightened,  mother.  Am  I  not  as  likely  to  have  a  cold  aa 
any  one  else  ?  Or  did  you  all  think  me  invulnerable  ?  " 

"  You  never  have  been  ill,"  she  answered,  with  some 
anxiety. 

"  And  I  am  not  going  to  be  ill  now.  But  I  feel  so  tired 
and  sleepy ! " 

Jessie  spread  a  thick  shawl  over  him,  bathed  his  fore- 
head, remarking  how  the  pulses  in  the  temples  throbbed. 
A  sudden,  sharp  pain  came  to  her  heart.  What  if —  But 
no,  every  day  was  sufficient  for  itself,  and  she  would  not 
borrow  trouble. 

11 


162  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

The  mother  watched  in  a  peculiarly  apprehensive  mood, 
Philip  was  their  main  stay,  their  comfort.  His  sturdy 
courage,  his  cheerful  temperament,  his  unvarying  good 
health,  had  rendered  him  a  kind  of  tower  of  strength  in 
their  eyes. 

He  breathed  fast  and  hard,  though  he  was  soon  asleep. 
Tho  flush  assumed  a  purplish  hue  on  his  cheek  and  brow, 
but  left  a  line  of  deathly  white  on  the  outer  edges.  There 
was  something  peculiar  in  the  face,  not  merely  the  symp- 
toms of  an  ordinary  cold. 

u  O, mamma,  what  do  you  think?"  and  Jessie's  lip  quivered 

tt  My  darling,  we  can  tell  nothing  at  present.  I  wish  Dr. 
Conway  was  in  the  city." 

The  physician  had  been  in  that  morning,  as  he  had  taken 
up  the  habit  of  calling  in  a  friendly  fashion  now  and  then, 
and  happened  to  remark  that  he  should  be  out  of  the  city 
for  a  day  or  two. 

"  We  might  have  some  one  else." 

"  Yes ; "  rather  doubtfully. 

When  Madge  came  home,  she  was  quite  startled,  and 
would  have  gone  at  once,  but  Philip  roused  while  they 
were  talking. 

"You  are  all  needlessly  alarmed,"  he  exclaimed.  "  I  shall 
be  quite  well  by  morning.  Jessie,  bathe  my  head  again — 
will  you  not?  It  felt  so  nice  and  cool.  And  please  do 
not  worry." 

They  obeyed  his  behest.  Night  dropped  her  mantle  of 
gray  gloom  over  them  all,  a  silent  household  indeed.  Of 
late,  Mr.  Ashburton  had  taken  a  wonderful  fancy  for  music, 
having  been  quite  an  excellent  pianist  in  his  younger  Jays, 
and  now  that  reading  and  other  sou-ces  of  interest  failed, 
he  had  returned  to  this  olden  love.  He  would  often  sit  at 
the  piano  for  hours  together,  improv  Vng  sad,  sweet  strains, 
and  sometimes  singing  to  them  fragments  of  hymns.  But 
to-night  there  was  no  sound  of  meio^y,  no  tender  talking, 
Each  heart  was  heavy  with  a  dim  foreboding. 


THE    CBOWN  OF   DUTY.  163 

Philip  declared  that  he  felt  better  at  bed-time,  and  went 
to  his  room  with  some  of  his  usual  cheerfulness.  At  mid- 
night the  threatened  storm  came  on,  wild  gusts  of  wind 
and  furious  dashes  of  rain,  and  the  morning  dawned 
gloomily. 

"  It  will  not  do  for  Philip  to  go  out,"  declared  Madge; 
peremptorily,  "  even  if  he  should  be  better." 

He  thought  he  was.  His  head  did  not  ache,  only  fel% 
dull  and  heavy;  but  if  they  would  not  let  him  go  dowu 
town,  he  might  as  well  lie  there.  But  his  smile  had  a  wao 
and  languid  expression,  and  his  voice  was  husky. 

"Dr.  Con  way  will  not  be  at  home  until  to-morrow,1* 
Madge  remarked,  lingering  in  the  doorway  before  she 
went  to  school.  "  Do  you  consider  it  necessary  to  call  in 
a  stranger,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  we  had  better  wait." 

Madge  went  to  school  not  altogether  satisfied.  A  long, 
wearisome  day  it  proved,  for  it  seemed  as  if  the  children 
were  unusually  tiresome  and  annoying.  But  at  noon  the 
storm  ceased,  and,  although  the  sky  was  still  dense  and 
lowering,  it  was  some  relief  not  to  have  it  rain. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  met  her  at  the  door  with  an  anxious  face. 

"  My  child,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  must  go  for  a  physician 
immediately.  Leave  word  for  Dr.  Conway  to  come  as 
soon  as  he  returns." 

"  And  Philip  is  worse  ?  " 

"  His  fever  is  much  higher,  and  he  has  been  slightly  de- 
lirious for  the  last  hour." 

Madge  started  at  once.  It  was  almost  dusk  of  the  short 
winter  day  when  she  returned,  and  she  flew  to  Philip's 
apartment.  Jessie  stood  beside  the  bed,  silent  and  tearful. 

«O,  Philip!" 

"He  doesn't  seem  to  know  any  one  now,  and  grows 
worse  every  moment.  When  will  the  doctor  come?" 

"  Not  before  seven.  He  was  out  too, — Dr.  Hurst,  I  mean, 
—  and  he  seems  next  best  to  our  own  kind  friend.  O, 
Jessie ! " 


164  HOME    NOOK,  OB 

They  clasped  hands  in  silence.  What  bitter  trial  wai 
before  them? 

"  Everything  does  happen  to  us,"  Madge  sobbed. 

"  We  can  only  pray  for  the  best." 

Philip  tossed  restlessly,  and  muttered  at  intervals.  Hii 
eyes  were  wild  and  glassy,  without  a  gleam  of  recognition. 

**  It  makes  my  heart  ache  to  see  him.  Our  own  dear, 
bright  Philip,  our  great  rock !  O,  Jessie  1  could  God  take 
him  from  us ! " 

"O,  my  darling,  don't  think  of  that." 

They  counted  the  moments  with  aching  hearts.  The 
supper  was  scarcely  tasted,  and  after  a  weary  while  the 
doctor  made  his  appearance. 

Dr.  Hurst  saw  that  they  were  full  of  apprehension,  and 
since  the  case  would  be  in  Dr.  Conway's  hands,  it  was 
hardly  necessary  to  add  to  their  alarm. 

"A  fever,  of  course,"  he  said;  "and  fevers  are  apt  to 
make  a  rather  tedious  illness." 

"  Will  it  be  very  severe  ?  "  Madge  asked,  tremblingly. 

"  It  is  almost  too  early  to  decide ; "  rather  evasively. 

Then  he  gave  some  directions,  and  promised  to  call  in 
the  morning. 

"You  must  go  to  bed,"  Jessie  said  to  Madge,  as  the 
evening  waned.  "  You  are  taxed  all  day,  while  I  can  rest, 
and  i*  *vill  not  do  to  have  you  worn  out." 

ifladge  went,  unwillingly.  It  was  long  past  midnight 
when  she  fell  into  a  broken  and  troubled  slumber,  starting 
up  at  the  earliest  dawn. 

"  He  was  rather  quiet  through  the  night,"  Jessie  said, 
4  but  the  fever  is  rising  again.  If  you  can  sit  and  watch 
fcim  a  little  while,  Madge,  I  will  run  down  and  help 
mamma  with  the  breakfast." 

Madge  took  the  seat  near  the  head  of  the  bed.  The 
sky  was  cold  and  comfortless.  Down  low  in  the  east,  a 
faint  yellow  streak  heralded  the  sunrise,  but  it  was  still 
gloomy.  She  shivered  with  sad  apprehensions. 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  165 

Philip  opened  his  eyes,  and  fixed  them  steadily  upon 
her  face,  looking  so  long  that  she  began  to  grow  frightened. 

"  Madge,"  in  a  hoarse,  peculiar  whisper. 

"  Dear  Philip ; "  and  she  brushed  away  the  tumbled  hair. 

"  Are  you  alone  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  shall  I  call  any  one  ?  " 

"  No.  It  is  a  secret.  I  want  to  tell  you  —  if  I  can  re- 
member —  " 

He  raised  himself  partially,  resting  on  his  elbow,  and 
glanced  furtively  around. 

"  There  is  no  one  here,"  she  said,  reassuringly. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  —  I  suspect  —  mind,  only  that  — 
what  was  I  saying  ?  —  I  want  you  to  go  to  Mr.  Graham  — 
be  sure  to  see  him,  and  tell  him  that  I  am  afraid  —  to  keep 
my  books  until  I  come  back.  Howard  told  me  in  confi- 
dence. I  was  so  sorry  for  him,  poor  fellow,  and  I  offered 
to  explain  the  matter.  You'll  do  it,  Madge  ?  " 

His  eyes  were  full  of  feverish  wistfulness,  and  his  fingers 
grasped  the  counterpane  tightly. 

"  See  Mr.  Graham,  and  tell  him  — "  she  said,  slowly, 
striving  to  steady  Philip's  wandering  brain. 

"  Yes.  That  I  can  explain  it  all  when  I  come  back  — 
to-morrow,  perhaps  —  and  not  to  be  hard  upon  Howard, 
If  I  could  only  think  — " 

"  Is  it  anything  about  money  ?  " 

"Not  to  let  them  touch  my  books  until  I  come.  He 
said  he  was  going  to  Europe.  Poor  Nelly  is  there.  I 
wonder  if  we  shallever  see  her  again  ?" 

"Is  that  all  I  must  tell  Mr.  Graham  ?  " 

"  And  you'll  keep  it  a  secret !     I'm  so  tired,  so  tired  1 " 

With  that  he  dropped  back  on  his  pillow  and  began  to 
mutter  incoherently.  In  vain  Madge  questioned  —  she 
could  learn  nothing  more. 

Mi's.  Ashburton  came  up  to  take  her  place.  At  th« 
breakfast  table  she  asked  Jessie  what  Philip  had  talked  of 
principally. 


166  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  He  has  been  troubled  a  little  about  money,  but  has  said 
nothing  coherent.  I  suppose  he  does  feel  very  anxious, 
I  begin  to  realize  how  hard  it  is  to  be  poor.  I  believe  I 
shall  never  say  again  that  poor  people  are  most  free  from 
care.  We  have  Clement,  to  be  sure — * 

Madge  sighed.  "If  we  should  ever  be  rich  again,  I 
think  we  would  have  a  different  feeling  for  those  fighting 
for  very  life,  as  it  were.  But  Philip  has  not  said  anything 
about  his  business  ?  " 

"  No."    Jessie  glanced  up  in  a  little  wonder. 

Madge  made  no  further  remark.  Had  Philip  really  con- 
rfded  a  trust  to  her  ? 

She  tried  to  question  him  again,  but  the  subject  had 
gone  from  him  altogether.  All  day  in  school  she  thought 
about  it,  and  could  hardly  decide  whether  it  was  of  any 
importance  or  not.  But  he  had  been  so  urgent ! 

"  Yes,  I  do  believe  that  I  had  better  go,"  she  said  to 
herself,  decisively.  "  It  can  do  no  harm." 

For  a  wonder,  there  were  no  children  to  be  kept  in  by 
way  of  punishment.  She  walked  to  the  avenue  and  took 
a  car,  but  her  heart  went  back  to  Philip. 

It  seemed  so  odd  to  go  trudging  about  in  these  business 
streets  full  of  hurrying  men.  She  had  to  look  a  little  for 
the  place.  Here  it  was  —  "Graham,  Osborne,  &  Co." 

She  entered  hesitatingly.  Bales,  boxes,  and  packages  of 
merchandise  —  clerks  anxious  to  finish  their  day's  work, 
and  too  busy  or  too  gruff  to  pay  much  attention. 

"  Can  I  see  Mr.  Graham  ?  "  she  ventured,  timidly. 

Perhaps  no  one  expected  so  sweet  a  voice  behind  the 
trown  veil  that  muffled  her. 

"Mr.  Graham  went  home  an  hour  ago." 

*  Mr.  Ward  Graham  is  here  —  in  the  office,"  said  anothei 
voice. 

Philip  had  not  specified  which  one  must  be  intrusted 
the  confidence.  What  should  she  do? 

"I  think  I  will  see  him  j"  after  some  hesitation. 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  167 

**  This  way,  if  you  please." 

Madge  was  led  through  the  long  building,  so  dark  part 
of  the  way  that  the  gas  was  burning. 

"  He  is  in  here  —  engaged,"  and  her  guide  looked  rather 
disconcerted.  "  Mr.  Graham,  a  lady  wishes  to  see  you." 

Mr.  Graham  gave  a  glance  to  the  passage-way  without. 

"  In  a  moment,"  be  responded,  briefly. 

It  was  five,  rather  than  one.  To  Madge  it  appeared 
almost  interminable.  She  began  to  wonder  whether  the 
message  was  of  so  much  importance,  after  all. 

Then  Mr.  Graham  stepped  out  with  his  visitor,  still 
talking. 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  drop  in  to-morrow  morning 
and  have  a  talk  with  father,  before  the  business  is  really 
taken  in  hand.  I  start  at  noon,  you  know,  and  shall  be 
gone  six  months." 

"Very  well." 

The  man  made  a  slight  inclination  of  the  head,  and  gave 
Madge  a  sharp  look,  that  startled  her,  bringing  the  color  to 
her  face. 

"  You  wished  to  see  me  ?  " 

The  voice  had  a  peculiar  gentlemanliness  in  it,  that  re- 
stored Madge  to  self-possession.  Obeying  the  gesture  of 
his  hand,  she  followed  him  into  the  small  but  cheerful- 
looking  office.  There  was  a  fire  burning  in  the  grate,  and 
the  gas  was  lighted.  The  glow  and  warmth  were  so  pleasant 
that  Madge  involuntarily  threw  aside  her  veil. 

"  I  come  to  bring  a  message  from  my  brother,  Mr.  Philip 
Ashburton,"  she  said. 

A  change  passed  over  Mr.  Graham's  face.  Indeed,  it 
seemed  to  Madge  that  he  was  hardly  pleased ;  so  she  hur- 
riedly continued,  — 

"  He  is  very  ill." 

"  111 !  He  was  not  well  when  he  left  on  Tuesday,  I  be- 
lieve. Is  it  anything  serious  ?  " 

tt  A  fever.    We  are  afraid  —  "  and  her  lip  quivered. 


168  HOME   NOOK,    OB 

She  sat  in  range  of  the  double  light,  her  eyes  downcast, 
and  their  long  bronze  lashes  drooping  over  her  cheeks, 
that  flushed  and  paled  alternately.  Not  handsome,  per- 
haps, to  a  man  accustomed  to  seeing  queens  of  beauty, 
but  there  was  a  delicacy  and  nobility  about  the  fair  young 
face  which  attracted  his  attention. 

"  And  the  message  was  —  " 

If  Madge  had  only  glanced  up  to  the  questioning  face, 
whose  eyes  were  studying  every  line  of  hers,  the  result 
might  have  been  different.  But  she  was  pre-occupied  with 
her  own  anxieties,  and  doubtful  of  the  actual  necessity  of 
this  Htep. 

"  A  little  trouble  about  some  accounts,  I  think ; "  and  her 
look  wandered  towards  the  fire.  "  He  was  slightly  delirious 
—  at  least  not  quite  coherent,  and  he  begged  me  to  come  — 
to  say,  that  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  he  would  attend  to  the 
books  —  he  fancied  that  it  might  be  soon.  And  he  spoke 
of  a  person  by  the  name  of  Howard." 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  "  in  an  eager  tone. 

"  That  he  was  sorry  for  him,  and  had  offered  to  explain 
some  matter.  There  isn't  anything  wrong?"  and  she 
glanced  at  him  apprehensively. 

"  When  will  your  brother  be  able  to  come  down,  do  you 
think  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Perhaps  not  for  weeks.  We  are  afraid  he  will  be  very, 
very  ill.  O,  there  is  nothing  wrong,  I  know !  Philip  would 
cut  off  his  right  hand  sooner  than  do  anything  dishonor- 
able. What  is  it  ?  " 

She  came  and  stood  by  Mr.  Graham,  her  eyes  full  of  tears, 
and  her  whole  frame  trembling  with  excitement. 

"  A  little  difficulty  —  yes,  I  suppose  he  could  explain  it, 
or,  if  he  had  staid  —  nay,  do  not  distress  yourself;  it  will 
all  come  right,  I  know." 

Her  agitation  moved  him  curiously. 

"  What  wrong  is  there  about  it  ?  For  Philip  is  strictly, 
sternly  honest." 


THE  CEOWN   Or  DUTY.  169 

"You  would  hardly  understand  all  the  business  details  ; 
indeed,  I  do  not  know  myself.  Howard  has  left  his  place, 
and  the  two  being  away  together  causes  some  confusion. 
I  think  that  is  all." 

"O,  you  do  not  understand  him  at  all,  if  you  suspect 
him  of  the  slightest  wrong.  He  is  goodness  and  nobleness, 
and  truth  itself." 

Ward  Graham  believed  it.  And  yet  there  was  an  ugly 
fact  to  be  explained,  disguise  it  as  he  might,  or  even  hide 
it  from  this  young  girl. 

"  Have  you  any  brothers  besides  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Only  one.     He  is  away.    And  papa  is  —  nearly  blind." 

Her  soft  lip  quivered  with  paiu.  The  wistful  young  face 
was  full  of  entreaty  and  anxious  love. 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  returned,  gravely,  "  do  not  distress 
yourself  about  this  matter.  When  your  brother  recovera, 
it  will  all  be  right." 

"  But  you  do  understand  ?  " 

"  Sufficiently  for  the  present.  No  harm  will  come  of  the 
delay ;  that  I  can  assure  you.  I  am  glad  to  have  heard 
the  cause  of  his  absence." 

It  seemed  to  Madge  that  neither  of  them  knew  very 
clearly  what  they  were  talking  about.  It  would  be  ungra- 
cious in  her  to  persist  in  questioning  when  Mr.  Graham 
had  nothing  to  tell,  or  did  not  care  to  use  his  knowledge. 
That  it  was  of  any  vital  importance  she  could  not  believe. 
And  since  there  was  no  more  to  say,  she  turned  towards 
the  door. 

u  I  am  obliged  to  you,  and  I  hope  your  brother  will  soon 
recover." 

"  Thank  you,"  in  a  tremulous  voice. 

Ward  Graham  leaned  his  head  upon  his  hand,  and  fell 
into  deep  thought.  A  very  simple  occurrence  indeed,  and 
nothing  that  threw  any  light  upon  the  matter.  There  was 
a  deficit  in  Philip  Ashburton's  books  of  two  thousand 
dollars.  Howard  had  discovered  it  late  yesterday,  and 


170  HOME   NOOK,  OB 

announced  his  own  resignation  at  the  same  time,  stating 
that  a  more  lucrative  position  had  been  offered  him.  To- 
day, the  head  book-keeper  had  gone  over  the  account,  and 
referred  the  matter  to  the  elder  Mr.  Graham,  who,  in  a 
moment  of  haste,  had  turned  it  over  to  his  son. 

But  Ward  Graham,  it  must  be  confessed,  had  a  tender 
chord  in  his  heart,  and  Miss  Ashburton  had  appealed  to  it 
more  by  her  manner  and  her  evident  distress  than  by  what 
she  had  said.  Of  the  two,  he  would  have  suspected 
Howard  sooner,  though  he  knew  little  of  either  of  them. 

That  evening  he  made  some  inquiries  concerning  the 
Ashburtons,  as  chance  happened  to  throw  Dr.  Conway  in 
his  path.  So  he  hurried  to  the  store  the  next  morning, 
and  undertook  a  critical  revision  of  the  books  before  his 
father  arrived.  It  was  just  as  the  book-keeper  had  said. 
Yet  he  felt  a  strong  disposition  to  save  this  young  man, 
who  was  helpless  to  act  for  himself. 

"  Warren  is  to  be  in  again  this  morning,"  he  said  to  his 
father,  after  the  first  salutations  had  passed ;  "  but  I  want  a 
little  talk  with  you  about  this  young  Ashburton." 

"  I  gave  orders  for  a  warrant  —  "  and  the  elder  paused, 
startled  by  the  grave  face  of  his  son. 

"I  accidentally  met  Dr.  Conway  last  night, who,it  appears, 
has  known  the  family  a  long  while.  Philip  is  at  present 
very  ill  with  typhoid  fever,  and  the  only  thing  that  gives 
the  doctor  any  hope  is  his  youth  and  good  habits.  He 
speaks  of  him  in  the  highest  terms,  and  though  I  uttered 
no  suspicion,  I  know  he  would  scout  such  a  thing  at  once. 
The  father  is  nearly  blind,  and  the  family  have  been  pecu- 
liarly unfortunate. 

"  Which  you  think  excuses  him  for  dishonesty  ?  " 

"No  ;  but  just  at  this  crisis  it  would  be  cruel  to  proceed 
to  extremities.  I  want  you  to  give  him  a  chance." 

"There  is  too  much  of  this  thing  already  in  the  world, 
Ward.  Young  fellows  taking  what  does  not  belong  to 
them,  and  being  tenderly  excused,  from  a  spasm  of  fals« 
sympathy  on  some  one's  part.  Ii  is  all  wrong." 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  171 

"  You  do  not  suspect  Howard  at  all  ?  " 

a  Howard  ?  "  in  astonishment.  "  Why,  his  accounts  were 
clear  enough.  The  deficit  was  in  Ashburton's." 

**  And  he  had  Ashburton's  books  —  made  the  discovery, 
and  resigned  in  a  manner  that  would  have  excited  my 
suspicion." 

"  But  Ashburton's  course  does  not." 

"  I  cannot,  somehow,  believe  ill  of  him.  His  father 
ruined  himself  to  pay  business  debts  about  which  there 
might  have  been  a  question." 

"  There  never  ought  to  be  a  question  in  such  cases.  Any 
debt  is  sacred,  and  to  be  paid  if  it  takes  one's  last  penny. 
I  believe  I  did  hear  some  talk  about  it,  however ;  but  Ash- 
burton  had  a  good  deal  of  property  in  his  hands." 

"It  left  him  penniless.  They  have  struggled  hard  to 
get  along,  living  in  the  most  simple  manner  possible. 
Philip  is  the  main  stay  of  the  family.  If  he  has  been  led 
into  wrong-doing  by  any  want  —  " 

"  It  is  not  that.     He  had  a  good  salary." 

"  I  believe  he  can  and  will  explain  the  matter.  I  want 
you  to  give  him  an  opporunity.  To  this  end  I  shall  refund 
the  two  thousand  dollars  out  of  my  own  private  purse,  and 
depend  upon  you  to  see  that  the  utmost  discretion  is  pre- 
served on  the  subject.  Withdraw  the  charge,  and  tell 
Warren  we  have  concluded  to  let  the  matter  drop." 

"  Are  you  crazy  ?  " 

"  I  ask  it  as  a  personal  favor  of  you.  When  Philip 
Ashburton  recovers,  if  he  ever  should,  he  will  have  the 
manliness,  I  feel  assured,  to  make  some  reparation,  if  he 
has  been  led  into  error." 

"And  if  he  does  not,  the  loss  will  be  yours  I  Well,  yon 
are  generous ! " 

Ward  Graham  wondered  whether  he  had  not  better  tell 
his  father  of  the  interview  with  Miss  Ashburton.  The  eldei 
would  laugh  at  him  a  little,  and  declare  that  he  had  been 
caught  by  a  pretty  face.  No,  that  was  his  secret. 


172  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

However,  before  Warren,  the  private  detective,  dropped 
in,  he  had  won  a  reluctant  assent  from  Ids  father,  paid  over 
the  amount,  which  he  insisted  upon  rigorously,  and  the 
case  was  relinquished.  But  the  elder  considered  it  fool- 
ishly wrong.  If  Ashburton  was  not  at  fault  it  gave 
Howard  a  chance  to  escape  also. 

He  quieted  his  conscience  by  another  step  a  fortnight 
later.  Enclosing  Ashburton's  salary  for  the  month  in  an 
envelope,  —  for  he  heard  that  the  young  man  was  lying  at 
the  point  of  death,  —  he  merely  stated  that  it  had  been 
found  necessary  to  fill  his  place. 

"  I  dare  say  that  he  will  be  glad  enough  to  get  off  in 
that  fashion,  if  he  should  live ;  and  if  not,  I  shall  be  thank- 
ful that  I  kept  quiet  about  it,"  Mr.  Graham  said  to  himself. 
u  But  Ward  always  had  a  soft  spot  in  his  heart." 

It  was  true  that  Philip  lay  at  the  point  of  death.  He 
had  grown  rapidly  worse  each  day,  and  Madge,  wild  with 
anxiety,  procured  a  substitute,  that  she  might  remain  at 
home  and  assist  in  the  nursing.  What  terrible  days  and 
nights  those  were  1  In  what  anguish  of  spirit  they  prayed 
to  have  this  cup  pass  from  them ! 

Mr.  Ashburton  paced  the  floor  with  slow  steps,  vainly 
questioning  why  this  young  life  should  be  taken  instead 
of  his.  All  the  homely  details  of  the  household  went  on, 
bringing  that  sense  of  incongruity  so  hard  to  bear.  The 
clear,  crisp  winter  sunshine  seemed  a  mockery.  The  days 
with  their  strange  terror,  the  nights  with  their  awesome 
silence,  broken  only  by  whispers,  or  the  voice  that  sounded 
unnatural  to  their  ears  by  stress  of  huskiness  and  suffering, 
babbling  of  old  days,  boyhood's  sports  and  friends,  and 
dreams  never  to  be  realized,  perhaps.  The  cares  and  bur- 
dens of  the  present  were  forgotten.  The  spirit,  freed  from 
the  clanking  chain  of  toil,  revelled  again  in  the  bright  land 
of  youth,  sunning  itself  on  the  heights  of  hope,  and  being 
bathed  in  the  golden  glow. 

At  last,  the  moments  when  they  counted  heart-beats, 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  173 

when  the  pale  flame  of  humanity  fluttered  like  a  drooping 
shadow,  hardly  knowing  whether  it  was  summoned  across 
the  waveless  stream  or  not;  a  time  when  earthly  aid 
seemed  powerless,  and  they  could  only  pray. 

Only  pray!  As  if  God  were  less  than  human  skill 
But  besides  the  prayers,  there  was  the  slow  anguish  of 
resignation,  that  only  has  its  perfect  work  when  all  hcpe 
is  gone. 

There  was  a  faint  enkindling  of  the  nearly  spent  forces, 
and  the  physician,  looking  on,  breathed  the  word  of  com- 
fort so  precious  to  them  all. 

Jessie  buried  her  face  in  her  mother's  lap,  still  doubting. 

"  O,"  exclaimed  Madge,  with  a  cry  of  joy,  "  is  it  true  ? 
Do  you  think  he  can  recover  ?  " 

"  It  is  possible,  with  the  care  you  will  give  him.  But  it 
has  been  a  hard  struggle." 

Then  the  doctor  went  ou*  ooftly.  Tremulous  hands 
were  folded  over  them,  and  in  a  broken,  tearful  voice,  Mr. 
Ashburton  gave  thanks  for  this  mercy,  for  the  son  restored 
to  the-n,  for  the  great  shadow  lifted  from  their  pathway. 
Never  were  hearts  more  devoutly  grateful. 


174  HOME  NOOK,  OB 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE     WOULD     AGAIN. 

DiraiNG  the  excitement  and  anxiety  of  Philip's  illness, 
Madge  had  quite  forgotten  her  errand  to  his  place  of  busi- 
ness. Indeed,  the  importance  she  had  at  first  attached  to 
it  died  out  gradually,  and  only  an  indistinct  remembrance 
floated  through  her  brain.  It  was  not  until  after  the  crisia 
that  Mrs.  Ashburton  opened  the  note  to  her  son. 

"How  very  kind  in  them  to  send  the  salary  for  the 
whole  month  1 "  Jessie  exclaimed. 

Madge  fell  into  a  reverie. 

"  He  will  lose  his  situation,  of  course." 

u  I  suppose  it  ia  necessary  to  have  it  filled ; "  and  Jessie 
sighed  a  little. 

"But  we  will  not  worry  about  that  when  we  have  him," 
said  Mrs.  Ashburton.  "I  think  God  will  open  some 
path." 

Madge  glanced  over  at  the  cold  sunset  sky.  Somehow 
their  lives  seemed  like  that.  A  weary  waste  of  neutral 
tints,  a  little  yellow  gleam  to  show  where  the  sun  of  pros- 
perity had  gone  down. 

She  had  returned  to  school ;  but  after  the  strain  on 
her  nerves  she  was  feeling  weary  and  dispirited.  And 
now  another  long  stretch  of  misfortune.  Were  they  in- 
deed fated  ? 

Philip  was  very  weak,  but  cheerful,  and  improved  rapid- 
ly, the  doctor  thought.  Yet  even  that  appeared  tedious 
at  times.  And  here  were  the  most  trying  months  still  to 
come. 

ult  is  almost  four  years  since  we  left  Home  Nook," 


THE  CKOWN   OF  DUTY.  175 

Madge  said  one  evening.  "It  seems  more  like  a  century. 
I  wonder  if  we  ever  shall  go  back  I " 

"  Are  you  tired  of  waiting,  little  sister  ?  You  were  very 
bright  and  brave  at  first." 

"  And  you  think  I  have  lost  some  of  my  courage  ?  " 

She  glanced  at  Philip,  who  had  been  promoted  to  the 
'ignity  of  dressing-gown  and  easy-chair. 

"I  do  not  know  that  it  is  courage  altogether ;  but  hope, 
perhaps." 

"  I  should  like  to  go  back  to  the  old  life  —  should  you 
not,  Jessie  ?  Just  for  a  smell  of  the  flowers,  and  a  glimpse 
of  the  sunshine,  and  a  little  rest  in  the  dear  old  corners 
that  were  so  cosy.  Instead,  we  drift  farther  and  farther 
off." 

"  I  remember  a  sunny  face  that  rested  in  my  lap  one 
evening,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton,  "  and  wondered  if  we  ever 
could  feel  thankful  for  trials." 

"  No,  mamma,  I  think  we  cannot.  That  was  the  last 
bright  evening,  the  very  night  the  troubles  first  came ; " 
and  Madge  drooped  her  head  to  hide  a  tear  or  two. 

"  But  one  can  learn  patience  and  resignation." 

"  Yet  it  is  so  hard,  mamma,  dearest.  One  can  endure, 
and  that  doesn't  seem  to  me  the  highest  kind  of  courage. 
There  is  something  still  wanting." 

"  Which  God  gives  to  all  who  ask  Mm." 

Did  she  ask  him  truly?  She  prayed,  of  course,  but 
nothing  seemed  to  come  of  it.  Grace  to  help  her  bear  the 
trials ;  but  they  were  as  sharp  and  bitter  every  day,  and 
appeared  to  rasp  some  new  sensitive  nerve  that  they  had 
missed  hitherto. 

Why  was  it  ?  Would  Jessie  be  so  calm  and  sweet  if 
she  was  jostled  about  by  the  great,  rough  world  ? 

And  Jessie  shrank  a  little,  it  must  be  confessed.  Every 
year  they  grew  poorer.  Their  little  hoard  had  all  been 
spent,  and  now  they  would  be  compelled  to  make  a  drain 
upon  Clement;  for  Madge,  single-handed,  could  not  fill 


176  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

the  void.  And  so  Home  Nook  appeared  more  of  an  im 
possibility  than  ever  before. 

Once  only  Madge  touched  upon  her  errand  for  Philip, 
but  she  saw  that  it  had  completely  passed  from  his  mind. 
He  had  with  his  earliest  convalescence  questioned  his 
mother  whether  any  message  had  ever  been  sent  to  him, 
and  the  matter  of  the  salary  being  so  entirely  business- 
like, he  had  dismissed  the  subject  with  a  little  sigh.  When 
he  recovered,  there  would  be  the  olden  search  for  some- 
thing to  do. 

February  ended  with  unusual  mildness.  Philip  began 
to  walk  out  a  little,  and  then  rapidly  regained  his  strength. 
It  made  them  all  happier  to  have  him  able  to  go  about. 
As  soon  as  he  felt  strong  enough  he  took  a  journey  down 
to  the  old  house  of  Graham  &  Co. 

The  book-keeper  mentioned  it  to  Mr.  Graham,  who  was 
not  in  at  the  time. 

"  Did  he  ask  for  me  ?  "  was  the  rather  sharp  query. 

"  No.  We  talked  a  little  about  business.  There's  no 
chance  for  him  here  again?" 

"  Not  the  slightest,"  in  a  cold,  decisive  tone. 

«  So  I  told  him." 

Mr.  Graham  gnawed  his  mustache  a  little. 

"  Ward  was  a  fool ! "  he  said  to  himself.  «  Still,  let  the 
poor  fellow  go.  He  has  had  bad  luck  enough ! " 

So  Philip  Ashburton  little  guessed  at  the  cloud  that 
overshadowed  him,  even  when  several  applications,  to 
whom  Graham  &  Osborne  had  been  given  as  a  reference, 
were  Jeclined.  Still,  something  must  be  done. 

He  obtained  a  situation  at  last  in  a  broker's  office,  with 
a  man  whose  face  and  manner  he  disliked  at  the  first  inter- 
view. Yet  he  could  hardly  afford  to  be  particular. 

Horace  Bradley  was  well  known  as  a  sharp  and  shrewd 
financial  operator.  He  took  the  measure  of  Philip  Ash- 
burton  at  once,  covertly  laughed  at  the  honesty  in  every 
line  of  his  face,  and  the  frankness  so  strongly  characteristic 


THE  CBOWN   OF  DUTY.  177 

of  it.  The  young  fellow  would  be  useful  to  him  in  various 
ways,  and  he  meant  to  turn  the  connection  to  good  ac 
count  while  it  was  fresh  and  taking. 

Philip  was  quite  ready  for  business,  and  went  at  it  with 
an  energy  that  gratified  his  employer.  New  to  these 
ways,  unsuspicious,  and  most  anxious  to  give  satisfaction, 
he  was  quite  deep  in  the  mysteries  of  that  most  fascinat- 
ing species  of  gambling  — speculation  —  before  he  scarce- 
\y  realized  where  he  stood. 

It  was  in  the  time  of  the  great  excitements,  when  men 
ran  wild  over  victory  or  defeat,  coined  the  life-blood  of 
friend  or  enemy  into  gold  —  what  did  it  matter  ?  The 
fever  entered  many  a  noble  soul  and  poisoned  it,  and  the 
haste  to  be  rich  bade  fair  to  sap  the  strong  and  true  foun- 
dations whereon  all  nobility  of  character  rests. 

Before  he  was  hardly  aware  he  was  drifting  with  the 
tide.  What  if  he  joined  this  mad  rush,  and  won  the 
golden  fortune  that  seemed  to  stand  aloof  from  honest 
exertion  ?  They  all  needed  it  so  much !  And  there  was 
Home  Nook.  If  he  could  help  Clement  in  restoring  this 
heritage ! 

The  struggle  and  decision  were  forced  upon  him  sooner 
than  he  expected.  He  came  home,  one  evening,  looking 
more  worn  arid  tired  than  usual. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Jessie.  "  You  are  over- 
working." 

"  No,  it  is  not  that,"  with  a  faint  smile. 

"  Then  something  troubles  you." 

He  made  no  answer  for  several  minutes. 

"  You  have  not  lost  your  situation  again  ?  " 

That  was  in  Madge's  quick,  tremulous  voice. 

"  I  have  given  it  up,"  calmly. 

«  But  I  thought  you  liked  it." 

"  I  did  at  first.  There  was  something  exhilarating  in  it, 
but  I  understood  only  one  side.  And  though  there  may  be 
pleasures  and  profits,  there  are  dangers  and  evils  as  well." 
12 


178  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"But  I  should  think  that  part  belonged  to  Mr.  Bradley 
rather  than  you." 

"  Let  me  explain  what  occurred  to-day.  Mr.  Bradlej 
has  sent  me  out  on  more  than  one  occasion  to  purchase 
some  particular  stocks  at  a  rather  high  rate,  while,  un- 
known to  me,  an  agent  would  follow  in  my  footsteps  to 
sell.  This  would  cause  a  rush  to  his  office ;  but  he  would 
purchase  only  a  small  amount,  to  give  the  proceeding 
color,  blandly  declaring  to  all  late  comers  that  his  order 
was  filled.  To-day  it  was  land- warrants,  I  saw  more 
than  the  number  he  wanted  lying  in  the  desk,  and  told 
him  so,  as  I  had  resolved  that  he  should  never  set  me 
about  such  work  again.  To  me  it  seems  nothing  less  than 
downright  swindling." 

w  And  then  ?  "  continued  Jessie. 

"  I  did  refuse.  We  had  some  high  words ;"  and  Philip 
colored.  "  Of  course  it  ended  in  a  discharge.  I  wonder 
sometimes,  with  Madge,  if  we  are  fated  to  be  unlucky  — 
only  I  know,  after  all,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  luck." 

Mr.  Bradley  had  stung  Philip  with  a  little  sentence  that 
he  did  not  care  to  repeat.  He  had  said,  — 

u  Your  past  record  is  not  so  entirely  faultless,  Mr.  Ash- 
burton,  that  you  need  set  up  these  high  ideas  of  honesty." 

When  Philip  had  pressed  him  for  an  explanation,  he 
either  would  not  or  could  not  give  it.  Still  it  left  the 
young  man  feeling  hurt  and  sore. 

"  But  all  commercial  life  is  not  full  of  tricks  and  dis- 
honesty," said  Madge. 

"No,  there  are  many  honorable  exceptions.  Yet  it 
seems  now  as  if  a  new  and  fatal  spirit  had  seized  upon  the 
souls  of  too  many,  alas!  No  matter  how  wild  the  ven- 
ture, there  are  hundreds  standing  ready  to  plunge  into  the 
whirlpool.  Every  one  appears  possessed  with  an  eager 
thirst  for  riches,  and  fabulous  fortunes  are  made  in  a  few 
months.  But  I  have  seen  the  other  side.  Widows  and 
orphans,  or  poor  men  induced  to  invest  their  small  savings 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  ITS 

—  the  labor  of  years,  perhaps  —  in  some  of  these  schemes, 
and  have  it  swept  away.  It  is  in  most  cases  the  rich  and 
unscrupulous  who  gain,  while  the  poor  grow  poorer, 
crowded  on  every  side.  Yet  I  have  sometimes  felt 
tempted  to  join  the  successful  throng." 

"  Not  at  the  price  of  honor,  my  son,"  interposed  Mr. 
Ashburton,  who  had  glided  into  the  room  with  his  slow, 
soft  step,  as  he  had  insensibly  fallen  into  the  peculiar 
quietude  belonging  to  the  blind. 

"  It  would  be  that."  Philip  half  turned  and  slipped  his 
hand  into  his  father's,  which  was  white  and  slender  as  a 
woman's.  "  I  have  been  debating  this  thing  in  my  mind 
for  the  past  month.  I  have  met  with  opportunities  for 
success,  if  one  could  only  forget  that  for  the  few  who  suc- 
ceed, hundreds  are  plunged  into  ruin  and  misery.  Per- 
haps this  civil  war  is  to  be  the  great  test  of  our  national 
character,  and  that  bloodless  battles  are  to  be  fought,  which 
shall  determine  the  growth  and  purity  of  our  souls." 

"  Yes,  the  grand  issues  are  not  merely  with  the  victory 
of  to-day  —  the  defeat  of  contending  armies  is  not  our  only 
failure.  It  is  whether  we  shall  come  out  of  it  braver  and 
nobler,  having  strength  given  us  to  buffet  through,  or  drift 
down  the  tide  with  the  countless  throngs  who  have  proved 
too  weak  for  destiny." 

a  It  seems  to  me  Uiose  heroic  souls  who  have  laid  theii 
lives  on  their  country's  altar  are  to  be  envied,"  Philip  said, 
a  little  regretfully.  "  They  have  given  the  best,  and  all 
they  had.  And  now  the  country,  in  her  deathly  strait, 
calls  for  more." 

They  all  knew  then  what  was  in  Philip's  calm,  resolute 
face.  Throughout  the  struggle  the  fires  of  youth  and 
patriotism  had  burned  brightly  in  his  soul,  but  his  duty 
had  been  here. 

"  I  am  glad  we  have  come  to  this  subject,"  he  began  in 
a  slow,  peculiar  tone.  "It  has  haunted  me  for  weeks. 
Two  paths  seem  open  before  me.  In  legitimate  business 


t80  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

there  is  no  chance.  Everything  is  in  the  deptts  of  depres- 
sion and  there  are  only  speculation  and  the  battle-field.  1 
have  been  tempted  to  enter  the  first  arena.  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  the  prospect  of  winning  back  Home  Nook  has 
lured  me  on  to  make  a  gambler's  desperate  throw.  There 
is  honor  in  many  transactions,  and  principle  and  right  also, 
but  it  does  harden  men's  hearts  in  the  end.  Could  I  keep 
my  hands  clean  if  I  dipped  them  in  this  foul,  seething 
tide?" 

"  I  relinquished  it  in  all  honor,"  answered  Mr.  Ashbur- 
ton,  "and  I  would  not  have  it  redeemed  in  dishonor. 
That  it  has  been  a  sore  trial  to  me  I  will  confess ;  that  I 
have  stumbled  over  thorns  and  gone  astray,  trying  to  find 
some  easier  path  than  that  marked  out  by  God,  I  humbly 
acknowledge.  But  better  poverty  and  loss  of  all  than  to 
have  one's  soul  dragged  down  to  perdition  in  this  unholy 
strife  for  wealth.  Philip,  my  son,  I  honor  your  scruples. 
Whether  God  prosper  us  or  not,  we  will  do  his  will." 

"Thank  you,"  Philip  said  in  a  voice  of  deep  emotion. 
"  I  have  sometimes  wondered  if  this  subject  had  not  taken 
a  morbid  tinge  in  rny  brain.  But  to  look  upon  wrecks  of 
truth,  and  manliness,  and  self-respect,  and  to  see  the  dan- 
gers that  beset  the  slippery  path,  must  needs  warn  like  a 
beacon-light.  And  when  ft  man  has  once  been  face  to 
face  with  death  —  " 

"  Yes,"  Mr.  Ashburton  returned,  slowly,  "  there  is  a 
life  beyond  this ;  and  *  what  will  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain 
the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ? '  We  too  often 
forget  this." 

"  Then  the  other  path  —  " 

Philip's  voice  trembled  perceptibly. 

"  0 1 "  and  Madge  knelt  beside  him  with  a  passionate 
cry.  "  Not  that,  Philip !  Not  absence,  and  danger,  and 
death  itself!  The  country  has  no  claim  upon  you." 

"  She  has  a  claim  upon  every  man  in  her  pangs  of  mor- 
tal anguish.  I  want  to  say  now,  that  if  we  had  been 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  181 

happy  and  prosperous,  I  should  have  gone  at  first.  Ah, 
I  can  never  tell  you  how  my  pulses  used  to  throb  and 
thrill  at  the  thought !  But  God  made  a  path  of  duty  for 
me  here,  and  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  have  my  place 
filled.  Now  everything  has  changed,  and  while  it  would 
wrench  my  heart  with  keenest  agony  to  leave  you,  if  I 
stay  I  too  may  become  a  burden.  There  is  so  little  doing 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  find  employment  on  remu- 
nerative terms.  Bounties,  on  the  other  hand,  are  high." 

"  But  to  go  —  for  money  ! " 

There  was  a  flash  of  scorn  in  Madge's  eyes,  a  touch  of  it 
in  her  tone. 

u  My  darling,  it  seems  as  if  God  in  this  wise  opened  the 
way  for  me.  I  should  not  leave  you  utterly  dependent 
upon  Clement  or  yourself." 

"  As  if  the  money  would  not  be  the  price  of  blood  ! " 
and  Madge  sprang  to  her  feet,  her  face  flushing,  and  her 
sensitive  nostrils  quivering  with  subtile  pain. 

"  That  is  the  youthful  and  enthusiastic  view ; "  and  Philip 
smiled  gravely.  "  It  once  seemed  to  me  that  patriotism 
could  not  be  bought,  that  I  should  spurn  anything  but  the 
purest  and  most  heroic  sacrifice  ;  yet  I  have  come  to  look 
upon  matters  in  a  different  light.  Are  not  wives  and 
little  ones  dear  to  these  men  who  know  not  what  hour 
they  may  be  called  upon  to  lay  down  their  lives  ?  Will 
it  make  them  fight  better,  think  you,  to  know  that  these 
precious  ones  may  be  starving  ?  " 

Madge  was  silent. 

"There  is  always  some  divine  justice  in  the  law  cf  com- 
pensation. We  do  not  often  penetrate  its  intricacies  in 
the  heats  of  youth,  and  it  seems  to  me  but  right  that  the 
men  who  stay  at  home  should  help  to  make  it  easier 
for  those  who  go.  You  know  that  was  what  Clement 
thought." 

"  But  since  you  have  a  substitute  —  " 

This  was  Jessie's  soft,  pleading,  regretful  voice. 


182  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"One  comes  to  see  things  in  a  different  light,  my  dar- 
ling. I  am  young  and  strong,  and  have  my  country's  best 
interest  at  heart.  If  I  enlist  in  her  cause,  I  shall  do  it 
with  my  whole  soul,  keeping  nothing  back.  And  if  she 
bridges  over  the  path  whereon  I  might  falter,  if  she  pro- 
vides me  with  the  means  of  caring  for  you,  so  that  my 
burdens  are  lightened,  shall  I  march  with  less  willing  feet, 
do  you  think  ?  " 

M  You  place  the  subject  of  bounties  in  a  romantic  light," 
Madge  answered,  still  unconvinced. 

"  And  in  a  practical  light  also.  I  shall  take  no  hasty 
step,  but  I  want  you  to  help  me  to  decide  wisely." 

They  all  glanced  at  him  silently  for  a  moment,  under- 
standing in  a  dim  fashion  how  much  of  uncomprehended 
heroism  went  into  every-day  living  when  it  was  true,  and 
not  bound  hand  and  foot  by  shams.  With  God  between 
the  human  soul  and  its  own  thought,  the  meretricious 
glitter  of  high-sounding  terms  fell  away — it  was  the  real 
thing  —  the  bread  to  strengthen  fainting  bodies  —  the  red 
wine  of  another  Agony  infusing  into  the  soul  its  own  mys- 
terious rapture  of  pain,  of  struggle,  and  ultimate  victory. 

Jessie  wiped  away  a  few  tears.  "  If  we  could  only  see 
the  end ! "  she  said.  "  And  yet  God  must  be  in  it  all, 
bridging  over  the  floods  that  rage  and  swell.  We  cannot 
go  outside  of  his  plans  when  we  take  the  work  he  gives  us 
to  do." 

"  That  is  it,"  returned  Philip,  gravely.  "  And  it  seems 
now  as  if  all  other  avenues  were  closed  to  me,  as  if  this 
one  path  was  left  for  me  to  walk  in  honorably.  And  if  we 
Lave  faith  in  him  —  " 

"  I  am  afraid  I  have  not,"  sobbed  Madge.  *•  The  hurt 
and  pain,  the  stumbling  over  stones  and  thorns  —  " 

"  But  we  are  to  build  with  the  stones  —  that  takes  them 
out  of  our  way,  you  see.  And  when  the  vines  are  trained 
the  thorns  are  beyond  their  power  to  wound." 

He  came  and  clasped  her  tenderly  in  his  arms,  kissing 


THE  OKOWN  OF  DUTY.  188 

away  the  fast-falling  tears.  O,  how  could  they  do  wnh- 
out  him  ?  Yet  she  felt  the  brave  resolve  in  every  limb, 
saw  it  in  every  feature,  and  most  of  all  in  the  clear,  un- 
shrinking eyes.  Another  thought  wafted  a  breath  of 
comfort  to  her. 

"  If  you  could  go  out  as  an  officer ! " 

"  No,  Madge ;  if  I  go  at  all,  it  will  be  as  a  private,  to 
serve  my  country  in  her  desperate  need.  And  if  I  accept 
the  bounty,  it  will  only  be  like  receiving  back  what  we 
once  paid  away.  Think  of  it  as  Clement's  money.  One 
thing  is  certain.  I  cannot  stay  here  in  idleness.  That 
would  shame  my  manhood  too  much." 

Mr.  Ashburton  folded  his  hands  over  his  son's  head. 

"God  be  with  thee,"  he  said,  "wherever  thou  mayest 
go  !  I  give  thee  into  his  hands." 

They  knew  then  that  their  father  would  make  no  ob- 
jection. Mrs.  Ashburton's  heart  was  filled  with  tremulous 
emotion,  and  Jessie  wiped  away  some  sad  tears. 

Now  that  the  ice  was  broken,  the  subject  was  discussed 
almost  hourly.  Madge  opposed  it  with  the  unreason  of 
youthful  passion  and  pain,  but  Jessie  came  to  view  it  with 
Philip's  broader  vision. 

"  After  all,"  she  said,  "  it  is  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice 
that  hallows  it,  and  renders  it  really  nobler  than  if  Philip 
had  gone  at  first." 

A  new  fire  lay  hidden  in  the  depths  of  Philip's  grave 
eyes,  indicating  a  soul  that  could  grasp  its  purposes  keen- 
ly, and  yet  look  at  itself  as  well  as  the  things  without, 
growing  into  the  dim  and  silent  spaces  where  God  had  a 
work  for  it  to  do,  no  matter  how  small,  how  far  removed 
from  human  vision.  For  he  had  learned  to  look  beyond 
this  perplexing  life  for  rewards.  The  work  was  to  be 
done  here,  the  fruit  garnered  hereafter. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  the  heat  and  love,  the  tender  shrinking 
from  new  pangs,  the  courage  that  seemed  to  wax  and 
wane,  tlj.ey  were  all  slowly  drifting  to  one  conclusion  — 
the  saddest  of  all,  it  appeared  to  them. 


184  HOME  NOOK,   OB 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A      MISSING      LINK. 

MADGE,  returning  home  from  school  one  June  day,  tired 
and  languid,  stopped  the  street  car  and  entered.  There 
were  not  many  passengers,  and  being  in  no  curious  or 
speculative  mood,  she  scarcely  observed  them ;  for  all  day 
she  had  been  under  the  influence  of  a  strange,  terrible 
spell,  battling  with  doubts  and  desires,  questioning  even 
God's  goodness  and  mercy. 

A  gentleman  from  the  opposite  side  changed  his  seat  to 
one  near  her.  She  was  too  utterly  crushed  to  consider 
whether  it  were  an  impertinence,  and  turned  her  face 
away. 

"  Miss  Ashburton,"  a  voice  said  presently. 

She  started  then,  and  a  wave  of  dim  memory  swept 
over  her.  Somewhere  she  had  heard  the  voice,  seen  the 
face  —  where  had  it  been  ?  Yet  she  was  in  no  frame  of 
mind  to  be  gracious  to  one  so  nearly  a  stranger. 

"  Then  you  have  forgotten  me  ?" 

There  was  a  slight  touch  of  reproach  in  the  tone. 

She  gave  another  quick  glance,  and  seemed  to  study  a 
moment. 

"  Mr.  Graham,  I  believe ; "  rather  hesitatingly. 

"  Yes ; "  with  a  pleasant  smile.  "  I  am  glad  to  meet 
you,  although  I  had  so  nearly  passed  out  of  your  mind." 

She  made  no  answer,  and  was  fain  to  return  to  her  own 
sad  thoughts. 

"  Not  very  courteous,"  he  mused ;  and  then  he  fancied 
the  face  held  in  its  graver  lines  a  deep  trouble. 

"  Your  brother  is  well  —  I  hope  —  "  he  ventured  again 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  185 

"  Yes  ;  "  briefly,  and  with  a  rather  cold  intonation. 

The  car  halted  for  a  passenger.  In  the  momentary 
pause  he  ask^d,  even  at  the  risk  of  appearing  rude,  — 

"  Is  he  in  ,ne  city  ?  " 

The  quick  tears  sprang  to  her  eyes,  and  her  lip  quivered 
with  pain. 

"  Pardon  me." 

He  uttered  the  two  words  in  such  a  kind,  gentlemanly 
tone,  that  they  went  to  her  heart.  Still  she  made  no  re- 
ply ;  she  could  not  have  trusted  her  voice. 

He  studied  the  face  partially  turned  away.  Pale  and 
rather  thin,  with  a  small,  firm  mouth,  and  beautifully 
rounded  chin,  the  long  bronze  lashes  that  he  remembered 
so  well,  and  the  eyes  in  a  lustre  of  tears.  What  great  sor- 
row burdened  her  thus  in  the  outset  of  life  ?  Aught  con- 
nected with  her  brother? 

She  made  a  signal  at  the  well-known  corner.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham assisted  her  out  and  led  her  to  the  pavement.  There 
both  paused  involuntarily. 

"  Even  at  the  risk  of  being  considered  intrusive,"  he 
said,  "I  must  ask  you  another  question.  You  are  in  some 
trouble  —  is  it  about  your  brother  ?  " 

Madge  gave  a  great  gasp,  swallowing  something  more 
bitter  than  tears. 

"  O,  Mr.  Graham  !  he  was  to  enlist  to-day  !  " 

She  looked  so  white  and  wan  that  it  seemed  as  if  she 
would  faint.  He  drew  her  arm  through  his  for  support. 


"  There  is  nothing  else  to  do,"  she  almost  sobbed. 

Mr.  Graham  watched  her  in  great  perplexity.  They 
took  several  steps  in  silence,  he  thinking  whether  it  would 
be  possible  to  continue  the  conversation  so  inauspiciously 
bsgun.  If  her  brother  had  been  at  fault,  and  there  was 
no  other  resource?  —  He  sympathized  profoundly  with 
her  agitation.  Dare  he  venture  another  question,  this  time 
to  the  point  ? 


186  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

When  the  first  strangeness  of  the  rencounter  subsided, 
a  host  of  old  recollections  rushed  over  her.  She  paused 
abruptly. 

"Mr.  Graham,"  she  began,  "  what  happened  last  winter? 
Was  it  any  mistake  ?     Philip  could  have  set  that  right 
It  was  the  commencement  of  fresh  misfortunes  for  us." 

"  I  wish  he  had  set  it  right,  as  you  say.  I  hoped  he 
would  make  some  explanation  —  " 

Madge  looked  at  him  with  a  face  full  of  terror.  Faint 
blue  lines  settled  about  the  mouth,  and  she  trembled  as  if 
in  an  ague. 

"Was  there  —  anything?  But  you  said  —  it  was  all 
right  — "  in  a  wandering  manner,  for  it  seemed  as  if  she 
could  hardly  remember  what  she  wanted  to  utter. 

"  Because  you  were  in  distress,  and  I  hoped  he  would 
explain  —  some  unfinished  business." 

With  all  his  courage  and  strict  sense  of  right,  Ward 
Graham  hesitated  to  accuse  another  unfairly. 

"  He  went  down  to  the  store  once  after  his  recovery. 
He  was  politely  discharged,  you  know  ;"  and  there  was  a 
touch  of  bitterness  in  her  voice. 

"Did  he  imagine  there  might  be  a  reason — ?  How 
much  are  you  all  in  his  confidence?  If  there  was  any 
trouble  or  —  wrong,"  hesitating  at  the  word,  "would  he 
be  likely  to  admit  it  at  home  ?  " 

Madge  was  bewildered.  Her  quick  eyes  questioned  the 
grave  face  bent  upon  her ;  then  her  straightforward  nature 
cut  the  gordian  knot  at  once. 

"  Mr.  Graham,  if  there  is  anything  wrong,  it  is  a  fatal 
mistake.  For  Philip  would  not,  could  not,  do  one  act  that 
might  be  questioned.  He  is  as  true  and  honest  as  —  as 
the  best  and  highest  soul  you  will  meet  with  in  this  world. 
Corne  and  see  him.  For  there  has  been  some  terrible  mis- 
understanding, I  begin  to  believe." 

They  walked  on  in  silence  until  they  reached  the  cot> 
tage,  that  looked  oddly  enough  set  in  among  the  rows  of 


THE   CROWN   OP  DUTY.  187 

more  pretentious  houses.  She  let  herself  in  with  the 
'atch  key,  and  opening  the  parlor  door,  invited  him  to 
snter. 

The  shutters  were  partly  closed,  making  a  pleasant 
twilight  within,  and  there  was  a  fragrance  of  rose  and 
geranium.  She  left  him  there  to  wonder  how  he  had 
stumbled  upon  this  half-explanation,  and  whether  he  could 
go  on  without  wounding  them  irremediably.  For  some- 
how he  had  not  felt  quite  satisfied  with  the  termination  of 
this  affair.  He  had  expected  better  things  from  Philip 
Ashburton.  Surely  this  young  face  was  honor  and  no- 
bility itself.  But  then  women  never  knew  the  temptations 
that  encompassed  their  sons  and  brothers  on  every  hand, 
the  plausible  schemes  that  were  like  a  swift  undertow  in 
the  tide. 

Philip  had  been  home  half  an  hour.  Madge  knew  with- 
out asking  a  question  that  his  name  was  enrolled. 

"  Mr.  Graham  is  here,"  she  said.  "  Philip,  I  wonder  if 
you  remember,  when  you  were  first  ill,  of  begging  me  to 
go  to  Mr.  Graham  with  a  message.  Indeed,  I  think  you 
do  not,  for  I  referred  to  it  once  afterwards,  and  you  took 
no  notice,  though  I  fancied  it  might  be  because  you  did 
not  wish  to  talk  of  it.  There  has  been  some  mistake,  I 
am  sure,  and  he  wishes  it  explained." 

Madge  had  uttered  this  in  a  rapid  breath.  Philip  hard- 
ly comprehended  at  first. 

"  I  sent  you  to  Mr.  Graham  ?  " 

"Yes;  on  the  second  morning  of  your  illness.  Some- 
thing about  your  books  that  you  did  not  want  overlooked, 
and  a  secret  connected  with  a  person  by  the  name  of 
Howard  —  I  scarcely  remember  myself,  except  that  Mr. 
Graham  did  appear  to  understand  it  —  yet  I  am  afraid  it 
was  all  a  terrible  mistake  —  " 

Philip  looked  at  her  in  the  utmost  astonishment. 

«  When  I  was  ill  —  ?" 

"  Come  and  see  Mr.  Graham,"  she  said,  breathless  with 
excitement  and  perplexity.  k'  Only  —  Philip  —  "  her 


188  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

voice  sinking  to  a  whisper  and  her  face  deathly  pale,  "you 
never  did  a  wrong  or  dishonorable  action,  you  never  — " 

He  kissed  the  throbbing  lips  for  answer,  and  twining  hi« 
arm  around  her,  led  her  through  the  room. 

u  There  is  a  mistake ; "  in  a  husky  tone.  "  I  think  I  can 
guess  —  " 

They  both  returned  to  the  parlor.  Mr.  Graham  rose 
from  his  seat,  and  extended  his  hand,  grasping  Philip's  cor- 
dially ;  but  surprise  kept  the  young  man  silent. 

**I  ought  to  apologize  for  this  intrusion,"  he  began  in 
his  low,  finely-modulated  voice,  "but  circumstances  seem 
to  have  hurried  me  into  it,  and  a  belief  that  we  might 
have  something  of  importance  to  say  to  one  another  —  " 

"  Mr.  Graham, "  —  filling  the  pause  the  other  made, 
—  "when  my  books  were  examined,  were  they  found 
correct?" 

Philip  stood  there  bravely  conscious  of  his  own  inno- 
cence, every  feature  in  his  face  proud  and  calm.  Not  any 
guilt  or  deceit,  not  any  subterfuge  or  underhand  dealing 
would  be  found  there. 

Mr.  Graham  colored  and  hesitated,  half  wishing  that 
Madge  were  not  present. 

tt  I  desire  to  know  just  the  truth." 

"  There  was  a  deficit,"  Mr.  Graham  replied  almost  under 
his  breath. 

«  How  much  ?  " 

"  Two  thousand  dollars." 

Philip  started  as  if  he  had  been  stung ;  Madge  uttered 
a  sharp  cry  of  anguish. 

"I  will  tell  my  story  first,"  Mr.  Graham  resumed. 
**  You  went  home  ill  one  afternoon  —  I  believe  I  was  not 
there.  But  the  next  day,  Howard,  who  took  charge  of 
your  books,  discovered  some  false  entries  and  this  defi- 
ciency. Mr.  Bromley  went  over  it  again,  and  attested  the 
truth.  Howard,  it  appears,  had  given  in  his  resignation 
that  morning,  though  he  had  told  Bromley  nearly  a  week 
before  that  he  had  been  offered  a  better  situation.  My 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  189 

father  asked  him  to  come  the  next  day,  but  he  failed  to 
make  his  appearance.  I  was  on  the  eve  of  a  business 
tour  to  Europe,  as  you  will  remember,  and  very  much 
engrossed ;  so  we  did  nothing  all  that  day  except  to  send 
for  a  private  detective,  who  came  too  late  for  an  interview 
with  my  father.  I  had  just  placed  the  matter  in  his 
hands,  subject  to  some  instructions  the  next  morning, 
when  your  sister  called.  I  believe  I  suspected  Howard 
somewhat  —  " 

"  And  you  thought  that  I  meant  to  plead  for  Philip !  "* 
Madge  exclaimed,  almost  angrily,  as  he  paused. 

"  I  felt  that  if  he  were  sick,  we  ought  to  defer  any  harsh 
measures.  Pardon  me  if  I  was  tempted  to  comfort  you. 
Your  youth,  your  agitation,  your  unbounded  faith  in  your 
brother,  moved  me  strongly;  and  that  evening  I  met  Dr. 
Conway,  with  whom  I  was  slightly  acquainted.  He  men- 
tioned your  family,  and  I  heard  some  of  your  misfortunes, 
becoming  convinced  in  my  own  mind  that  you  were  not 
the  criminal.  Before  I  left  the  next  morning  I  made 
good  the  missing  amount,  and  begged  my  father  to  keep 
the  whole  affair  a  secret.  I  felt  certain  that  some  expla- 
nation would  be  made  upon  your  recovery." 

Philip's  countenance  had  gone  through  scarlet  flushes  of 
indignation  and  white  heats  of  keenest  pain,  every  feature 
being  roused  to  play  its  part. 

"  The  whole  thing  was  false  ! "  Madge  said,  haughtily. 
"  Worse  than  that  —  cruel,  unjust  —  " 

"Hush,  my  darling.  It  is  bitter  enough,  God  knows, 
I  have  only  to  say,  Mr.  Graham,  that  I  am  no  thiefj 
though  I  cannot  prove  it  now  by  anything  beyond  my 
simple  word." 

But  Philip's  clear,  untrembling  tone  was  suflicient  guar- 
antee to  Mr.  Graham. 

"Had  you  any  cause  for  distrusting  Howard  ?" 

"He  had  been  dabbling  a  little  in  gold,  through  a 
friend,  and  was  rather  fortunate  than  otherwise,  I  fancied ; 


190  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

but  on  the  morning  of  my  last  day  at  the  store,  Le  came 
to  me  in  great  distress,  admitting  that  he  had  been  un- 
lucky, and  had  used  some  funds  of  the  firm,  but  he  was 
quite  sure  they  were  invested  in  a  manner  that  would  pay 
handsomely.  But  as  his  account  was  to  be  examined  the 
next  day,  he  begged  me  to  let  him  have  a  thousand  for  a 
few  hours,  that  it  might  look  right  at  the  time,  and  he 
would  be  sure  to  hand  it  back  to  me.  I  know  that  I  had 
been  struggling  for  several  days  against  the  approach  of 
illness,  and  had  hard  work  to  decide  between  the  strict 
right  and  the  fear  of  being  unjustly  rigorous.  I  urged 
him  to  tell  Mr.  Graham,  senior,  offering  to  take  that  much 
upon  myself  if  he  desired  it ;  but  he  had  a  hope  of  fight- 
ing it  out,  or  if  that  failed,  he  spoke  of  an  opportunity  of 
going  to  Europe,  which  he  should  accept  at  once." 

"And  you  let  him  have  the  money  —  I  see  now;  but  it 
was  a  false  step  on  your  part." 

"  No,  I  did  not  then,"  answered  Philip.  "  It  was  hard 
to  refuse,  and  I  might  not  have  made  a  firm  stand.  I 
went  home  early  that  day,  thinking  that  I  would  consider 
the  subject.  I  have  no  distinct  recollection  after  that." 

"  And  Howard  is  the  real  criminal  1  I  cannot  tell  how 
it  was,  but  I  dare  say  he  offered  to  take  charge  of  your 
books  —  it  would  be  very  natural,  in  his  place.  He  had 
all  the  next  day  —  " 

Philip  buried  his  face  in  his  hands.  To  have  one's  good 
name  tarnished  in  a  moment,  and  by  one  whom  he  would 
have  befriended,  appeared  unspeakably  bitter !  It  is 
harder,  perhaps,  to  suffer  for  well-doing,  for  in  the  first 
keen  pang  the  consciousness  of  innocence  is  overwhelmed 
by  anguish.  It  is  afterwards,  when  resignation  steps  in, 
that  one  bares  his  head  to  the  storm. 

a  My  dear  young  friend,  no  one  can  regret  this  more 
than  I.  Yet  we  shall  come  out  to  the  truth,  and  it  is  not 
too  late  for  reparation.  You  must  have  had  some  sus- 
picion, however?" 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  191 

"As  I  said,  I  remember  coming  home  that  day  with  a 
blinding  headache,  and  nothing  seems  clear  for  weeks 
afterwards.  I  can  hardly  imagine  my  sending  Madge  on 
such  an  errand  1  In  my  senses  I  should  have  requested  a 
visit  from  some  one  in  authority." 

"  If  I  had  not  gone ! "  Madge  exclaimed,  with  vehement 
sorrow. 

"Perhaps  it  was  best,"  Mr.  Graham  answered.  "But 
for  that  the  law  might  have  taken  its  course,  and  there 
would  have  been  more  or  less  publicity,  even  if  we  had 
come  to  the  truth  sooner." 

"My  illness  would  have  shielded  Howard  in  any 
event,"  Philip  said,  gravely.  "  And  since  it  was  only  my 
word  against  the  books  —  " 

He  shuddered,  for  he  seemed  even  yet  on  the  brink  of  a 
frightful  gulf. 

"  Bromley  would  hear  nothing  against  Howard,  and  his 
opinion  had  some  influence  with  my  father,  I  think.  I 
wonder  if  he  could  have  meant  to  shield  him?" 

"  How  could  he  !  O,  Philip !  how  cruel  and  unjust  the 
world  really  is !  And  that  God  should  let  us  go  astray 
with  all  these  misunderstandings,  that  were  no  fault  of 
ours,  and  the  explanation  come  too  late,  too  late ! " 

She  was  sobbing  piteously  in  her  brother's  arms,  hei 
bright  hair  a  tumbled  mass  of  curls  about  her  shoulders. 

"  It  is  not  too  late,  I  trust ; "  and  rising,  Mr.  Graham 
placed  his  hand  within  Philip's.  "  I,  for  one,  am  convinced 
of  your  innocence,  and  shall  labor  hard  to  establish  it.  I 
have  been  home  but  a  fortnight." 

**  Thank  you,"  the  young  man  answered,  brokenly. 

"  I  did  not  feel  satisfied  about  the  termination.  I  had 
laid  to  myself,  '  If  Mr.  Ashburton  is  the  man  I  take  him 
to  be,  he  will  come  to  my  father  and  express  some  grati- 
tude for  his  forbearance,  or  else  his  air  of  innocence  will 
make  itself  felt  Or,  if  he  dies,  I  shall  always  be  glad  that 
nothing  was  said.'  * 


192  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

"  Perhaps  you  are  aware,  Mr.  Graham,  that  my  month's 
salary  was  sent  for  December,  and  a  discharge  —  at  least 
I  was  informed  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  fill  my  place, 
which  I  could  hardly  dispute  in  a  business  point  of  view. 
I  was  down  one  day  last  March,  and  saw  Mr.  Bromley. 
Trade  was  very  dull,  as  I  well  knew,  and  receiving  not  the 
slightest  encouragement  from  him,  I  did  not  go  again.  I 
knew  of  no  reason  why  I  was  expected  to  see  your  father. 
I  questioned  one  of  the  clerks  about  Howard,  and  found 
that  he  had  left  with  a  fair  reputation.  I  could  only  sup- 
pose that  he  had  been  fortunate  enough  in  his  venture  to 
cover  all  deficiencies." 

"It  is  a  sad  affair,  that  might  have  been  explained  with 
a  few  words,  if  any  one  had  suspected  the  true  state  of 
the  case.  I  do  not  wonder  that  you  feel  warmly,  Miss 
Ashburton,  and  I  can  hardly  blame  your  indignation.  But 
in  a  large  business  like  ours,  the  routine  seldom  stops  for 
sentiment.  Knowing  what  I  did  that  evening,  I  was  truly 
desirous  of  not  adding  to  your  pain.  I  saw  that  you 
placed  implicit  faith  in  your  brother." 

"  And  he  was  worthy  of  it,"  she  answered,  proudly. 

**  Will  you  not  pardon  my  mistake  ?  I  shall  do  all  in 
my  power  to  make  amends." 

He  held  out  his  hand.  Madge  took  it  reluctantly.  She 
had  to  crush  down  the  bitterness  of  her  soul.  If  this  had 
come  yesterday,  before  the  fatal  step  !  It  was  so  hard  to 
have  faith,  to  believe  in  a  possible  good  being  evolved 
from  this  injustice. 

tt  I  cannot  tell  you  how  truly  I  regret  the  sorrow  and 
trouble  that  have  unwittingly  been  brought  upon  you  by 
my  clumsy  endeavor.  I  must  beg  that  some  allowance 
be  made  for  my  father.  When  you  come  to  have  thirty  or 
forty  years  of  experience  in  business,  you  will  naturally 
grow  suspicious,  and  chary  of  believing  the  first  story  you 
hear.  Young  men  are  led  astray  in  so  many  different 
ways,  and  the  hope  of  replacing  a  little  money  looks  so 


THE  CKOWN  OP  DUTY.  193 

fair  to  one  in  necessity!  Some  years  ago  we  had  quite  a 
serious  affiiir,  and  my  father  said  then  that  he  never  would 
forgive  the  slightest  dereliction  from  honesty.  Since  then 
I  have  interfered  in  two  cases.  The  first  one  I  shall  never 
regret." 

"  But  I  do  not  see  how  Philip  came  to  be  suspected  of 
all,  and  this  Howard  to  be  believed  so  implicitly,"  ex- 
claimed Madge,  still  indignant. 

"  Because  the  error  was  in  your  brother's  account,  and 
not  in  his.  Howard  had  charge  of  his  books  that  day, 
and  must  have  altered  figures  to  suit  himself.  He  took  it 
at  once  to  Mr.  Bromley,  and  we  three  were  all  who  knew  of 
the  fact.  Ami  although  utterly  surprised,  I  own  that  I  did 
not  suspect  Howard  in  the  slightest  until  after  he  had  left. 
There  was  not  a  shadow  of  proof  against  him." 

"  I  have  still  nothing  but  my  word,"  said  Philip,  proudly. 

"  And  if  I  tell  you  that  I  trust  it  implicitly,  and  ask  you 
to  come  down  to-morrow  morning  for  further  conference 
with  my  father,  will  you  refuse  me  ?  " 

Ward  Graham's  voice  was  full  of  earnest  and  manly 
pleading.  He  held  out  his  hand  to  Philip. 

"How  sorry  I  am  I  can  never  tell  you !" 

Philip  could  not  resist  the  cordial  manner. 

"  I  will  be  there  at  ten,"  he  said.  "  At  twelve  I  must 
report." 

A  strong  shiver  passed  over  Madge. 

"  You  have  enlisted,  then  ?  "  Mr.  Graham  asked. 

"Business  was  so  dull.  There  seemed  so  little  chance 
of  anything  else.  Yet  I  believe  I  have  had  a  fancy  for  it 
all  along." 

Philip's  voice  trembled  a  little  in  spite  of  his  strong 
effort  to  be  calm. 

"And  he  had  a  substitute,"  exclaimed  Madge. 

"  Then  it  is  doubly  heroic  in  him,"  returned  Mr.  Graham. 
"I  do  not  believe  any  brave  or  honorable  impulse  is  ever 
quite  barren  of  fruit,  though  it  may  be  delayed." 
13 


194  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

It  seemed  to  Madge  that  she  took  a  survey  of  him  then 
for  the  first  time.  A  rather  grave  but  not  unhandsome 
face,  indicating  refinement  and  culture,  with  a  subtile,  un« 
deriving  strength.  The  eyes  were  a  deep,  soft  gray,  but 
the  hair  and  beard  nearly  black.  There  was  something 
honorable  and  tender  in  the  expression,  and  she  trusted  in 
spite  of  her  wounded  pride  and  sore  heart. 

"  To-morrow,  then,"  he  said,  lingering  in  the  doorway, 
taking  a  careless  glance  at  the  parlor,  that  looked  so  pretty 
and  cosy. 

Madge  and  Philip  ran  up  stairs  again  to  Mrs.  Ashbnr- 
ton's  room,  and  there  the  story  was  told  over  in  such  a 
tumultuous  fashion  that  it  was  some  time  before  the  listen- 
ers could  make  beginning  or  end  of  it. 

"  It  is  a  mystery  to  me  yet,"  declared  Philip,  "  that  I 
should  have  sent  Madge  upon  such  an  errand,  and  then 
forgotten  it  completely.  I  do  not  remember  even  being 
troubled  about  Howard  during  the  first  of  my  illness.  It 
is  all  a  blank  to  me,  after  my  return  earlier  than  usual  one 
day  with  an  excruciating  headache." 

"  And  yet  we  thought  you  better  the  next  morning,  and 
you  were  rational,"  said  Jessie,  much  perplexed. 

"I  wonder  how  Madge  came  to  keep  the  secret." 

"  I  believe  it  is  the  only  one  I  ever  did  keep,"  replied 
Madge,  tearfully.  "  The  thought  and  terror  of  your  dying 
took  possession  of  us  all,  to  the  exclusion  of  everything 
else ;  and  if  it  recurred  at  all,  it  was  only  as  a  wandering 
fancy  of  your  brain,  especially  when  Dr.  Con  way  said  the 
disease  had  been  lurking  in  your  system  for  weeks. 

"  But  I  wonder  that  you  did  not  speak  of  it  afterwards." 

u  I  did  just  refer  to  it  once,  but  I  saw  that  you  had  no 
recollection  of  it,  and  I  was  afraid  that  you  would  be  sorry 
you  had  sent  me  on  a  foolish  and  useless  errand.  We  had 
BO  much  to  bear  that  I  did  not  want  to  add  a  straw's 
weight.  But  if  I  never  had  gone  —  " 

*  No,"  returned  Jessie ;  "  I  think  the  going  was  very 


THE   CBOWN   OF  DUTY.  195 

fortunate.  Suppose,  in  addition  to  the  illness,  this  terrible 
suspicion  had  fallen  upon  us!  Weeks  must  have  elapsed 
before  Philip  could  have  disproved  it." 

"If  ever.     And  a  good  name  is  not  so  easily  regained." 

"But  it  doesn't  take  the  pain  out  of  the  hardest  and 
bitterest,"  sobbed  Madge  afresh.  "O,  Philip !  if  you  only 
had  waited !  if  you  had  not  enlisted  to-day  1  Why  does 
God  let  all  these  things  happen  ?  " 

"  My  darling,  hush,"  said  her  mother,  softly. 

"  But  it  is  so  hard  to  believe  these  events  are  for  the  best 
when  one  suffers  from  them !  " 

Very  true ;  and  perhaps  the  eyes  of  nineteen  are  not  so 
clear  and  comprehensive. 

Yet  there  was  very  substantial  cause  for  gratitude,  and 
no  one  felt  it  more  keenly  than  Mr.  Ashburton.  That 
Philip  should  have  rested  for  months  under  this  suspicion 
was  bitter  indeed,  but  it  might  have  gone  on  for  a  life- 
time,  cropping  out  now  and  then  to  his  disadvantage,  like 
the  stab  of  an  unseen  enemy. ' 

And  the  father  had  a  hope  in  his  heart  that  he  hardly 
dared  express,  or  breathe  in  anything  but  prayer.  Perhaps 
they  all  unconsciously  shared  it. 

"  I  shall  have  to  wait  all  day  before  I  hear  a  word  of 
good  news,"  said  Madge,  disconsolately,  the  next  morning 

"  But  it  is  a  comfort  to  think  of  it  even.  It  seems  to 
me  like  a  glimpse  of  sunshine  over  our  shady  path ! " 

"Trust  you  for  finding  the  brightness,  Jessie;"  and 
Madge  almost  smiled. 

But  Philip  came  for  her  in  the  afternoon,  and  his  face 
was  as  radiant  as  this  summer  day. 

"  O,"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  glad  cry.  "  I  believe  I  can 
guess  it  all.  You  will  not  leave  us!" 

"  No,  I  am  not  to  leave  you — at  least,  I  think  the  matter 
be  arranged." 

"  O,  it  must,  it  must !     And  Mr.  Graham  ?  " 

"  We  have  had  a  very  thorough  explanation.    Mr.  Ward 


196  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Graham  is  the  noblest  man  I  have  ever  met,  and  his  pa- 
tience is  not  only  tender,  but  grand.  Still,  there  icas  a  ials< 
entry  in  my  books,  and  the  money  appeared  to  have  been 
taken  on  the  day  that  I  went  home  ill.  No  one  can  re 
member  whether  Howard  came  back  or  not.  Just  at  that 
juncture  we  were  crowded  with  business,  and  getting  orders 
ready  for  young  Mr.  Graham.  It  is  one  of  the  things  which 
seemed  to  have  happened  by  accident,  and  might  not  occur 
once  in  a  thousand  times." 

"  So  it  had  to  fall  upon  you ! " 

"  And  it  may  be  the  means  of  greater  good  fortune.  We 
cannot  always  see  the  end  from  the  beginning." 

"But  I  cannot  excuse  Howard's  treacherous  and  dis- 
honest act,"  Madge  replied,  vehemently. 

"No.  Sin  must  always  be  sin,  and  its  consequences 
bitter.  Still,  God  can  turn  the  results  into  useful  lessons. 
And,  Madge,  the  virtue  lies  not  in  bearing  the  evils  which 
our  own  sins  have  brought  upon  us,  but  in  taking  patiently 
the  buffeting  we  receive  for  the  faults  of  others." 

"But  we  cannot,  in  every  case,"  she  said,  decisively. 

"  That  is  one  of  the  lessons  we  are  to  learn,  little  sister." 

Madge  gave  him  a  quick,  questioning  look. 

"  Are  you  thankful  that  it  happened  ?  " 

"No,  my  darling;  but  I  am  glad  the  evil  has  been  no 
worse.  We  had  a  long  talk  this  morning.  Madge,  you 
do  not  know  how  great  the  temptation  is  to  most  young 
men  to  make  a  little  money.  They  see  others  doing  it  so 
easily  —  it  is  one  of  the  misfortunes  of  our  present  state 
of  finance.  I  never  was  what  you  might  call  intimate 
with  Howard,  yet  now  and  then  he  would  mention  the 
fact  of  having  made  a  hundred  or  two  dollars,  and  some- 
times, when  we  were  sorely  pressed  for  money,  I  used  to 
wonder  how  it  would  do  for  me  to  try.  But  after  dear 
father's  noble  example,  I  could  never  have  touched  a  penny 
which  did  not  belong  to  me." 

"O,  I  hope  notl"  with  a  quick  grasp  of  his  arm. 


THE  CROWN   OP  DUTY.  197 

"  Then  I  was  tempted  many  a  time  while  with  Mr.  Br;td 
ley  —  not  to  use  his  money,  but  to  do  some  things  which 
were  not  strictly  honorable.  And  if  I  had  been  fortunate 
*here,  this  explanation  never  could  have  happened,  and  the 
Grahams  would  always  have  considered  me  a  dishonest 
man,  suffered  to  prosper  through  their  generosity.  Now  I 
have  made  two  of  the  best  friends  a  young  man  can  have." 

"  But  Howard  goes  scot  free,  and  is  successful,  I  suppose." 

Philip  smiled  a  little.  "  You  cannot  seem  to  give  him 
up,  Madge  ?  " 

"No;"  and  she  laughed  too.  "Like  the  story  books,  I 
want  virtue  rewarded  and  vice  punished." 

"  That  is  one  of  the  things  that  we  must  leave  with  God." 

"Philip,"  with  a  sudden  impulse,  "how  good  you  are! 
I  believe  you  are  always  thinking  about  it  now." 

"  When  a  man  has  gone  down  to  the  brink  of  the  dark 
liver,  he  comes  to  view  matters  with  different  eyes,"  Philip 
answered,  gravely.  "  I  find  myself  full  of  evil,  but  I  am 
trying  to  cling  to  the  sure  guide  and  support." 

They  walked  a  little  way  in  silence ;  then  Madge  said, 
in  a  rather  subdued  tone, — 

"You  have  not  told  me  what  the  prospect  really  is." 

"  O,  we  forgot  our  text  —  didn't  we  ?  I  do  believe  the 
elder  Mr.  Graham  is  convinced  of  my  honesty,  and  they 
have  offered  me  one  of  the  best  positions,  with  a  salary  of 
sixteen  hundred  dollars  this  year;  and  Mr.  Ward  will  see 
about  getting  me  another  substitute.  There  is  the  seven 
hundred  dollars  bounty  money,  you  know,  and  he  thinks 
for  three  hundred  dollars  more,  we  might  obtain  one. 
They  believe  the  war  will  be  ended  before  another  year." 

"  O,  I  hope  it  will.     And  I  am  very,  very  glad  — " 

Her  voice  trembled  over  tears. 

"  It  seems  as  if  the  dawn  might  be  breaking  over  us  at 
last." 

She  did  not  reply.  It  had  been  a  long  and  dreary  night, 
with  even  the  watchmen's  voices  hushed. 


198  HOME   NOOK,  OB 


CHAPTER  XVL 

A     NBW     FKIEND. 

release  was  obtained  without  any  special  diffi- 
culty, and  he  took  his  place  in  the  old  establishment  once 
more.  Mr.  Bromley  had  left  some  months  previous, 
having  accepted,  in  connection  with  a  friend,  a  large  gov- 
ernment contract.  Consequently  there  was  no  embarrass- 
ment for  Philip. 

"  I  should  like  to  ask  Mr.  Graham  up  here  to  tea,"  he 
said  one  evening  to  Jessie.  "  He  has  expressed  a  desire 
to  see  father,  and  become  acquainted  with  the  rest  of  you." 

"  Why  not  ?  We  should  be  glad  to  have  him  come,  I 
am  sure.  I  have  not  seen  him  at  all,  remember." 

"Sure  enough,"  exclaimed  Madge.  "And  since  he  has 
become  a  kind  of  hero  in  our  estimation,  we  ought  to 
know  more  of  him.  He  is  rich  —  isn't  he,  Philip  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  so.  They  have  been  one  of  the  fortu- 
nate houses  during  the  war." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  glanced  at  her  daughter.  What  if 
ihere  had  been  something  besides  Mr.  Graham's  interest 
in  Philip  ? 

And  yet  it  seemed  as  if  Madge  was  hardly  bright  enough 
or  pretty  enough  to  attract  any  person's  attention  at  a 
glance.  Not  that  she  had  faded,  but  the  toil  and  care  had 
dimmed  the 

"  something  sweet 
That  follows  youth  with  flying  feet." 

The  spirit,  and  brilliancy,  and  vivacity  flashed  but  rarely 
now. 


THE  CEOWN   OF  DTJ1Y.  199 

* 

Had  she  grown  old  before  her  time?  Had  the  love 
that  once  appeared  the  sun  of  her  life  proved  a  burden  ? 
For  now  Charlie  Westlake  said  nothing  about  a  return. 
And  Mrs.  Ashburton  sighed. 

"  How  old  is  Mr.  Graham  ?"  asked  Jessie. 

"  About  forty,"  replied  Madge,  musingly. 

M  Forty ! "  and  Philip  laughed. 

Madge  glanced  up  in  amazement. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Graham,  senior,  is  not  much  beyond  fifty." 

"Well,  I  never  thought  of  him  as  being  young." 

"He  may  be  past  thirty,  and  looks  neither  young  noi 
old,  but  has  a  grave,  sweet  face.  Why,  I  believe  his  eyes 
are  wonderfully  like  Jessie's,  but  his  hair  is  much  darker." 

Mr.  Graham  set  all  criticisms  and  doubts  at  rest  by 
accepting  the  invitation.  It  was  during  the  first  week  of 
Madge's  vacation,  when  she  felt  very  lazy  and  listless. 
There  had  not  been  any  little  festival  suppers  since  the 
time  of  Charlie  Westlake,  and  it  seemed  quite  a  new  un- 
dertaking. 

Mr.  Ashburton  had  become  so  blind  that  he  could  bare- 
ly distinguish  between  light  and  darkness.  Yet  as  this 
avenue  of  the  senses  closed  slowly,  a  clearer  spiritual 
vision  appeared  to  become  his.  The  doubts  and  despair 
that  threatened  to  overwhelm  him  at  one  time  had  van- 
ished, and  the  twilight  through  which  he  walked  became 
illuminated  with  that  all-glorious  Sun  of  Righteousness. 
Consenting,  like  a  little  child,  to  be  led  by  the  Father's 
hand,  he  no  longer  stumbled  over  thorns.  Faith  resumed 
her  crown  and  sceptre. 

And  with  this  repose  of  soul  had  come  a  decided  im- 
provement in  his  physical  health.  Sweet,  patient,  uncom- 
plaining, he  seemed  to  make  the  central  point  in  the 
Household.  For  now  they  rarely  spoke  of  Home  Nook. 
The  old  hopes  had  been  laid  away  with  reverent  hands, 
perhaps  never  to  be  called  to  a  resurrection  morning. 

They  heard  from  Eleanor  at  intervals.    She  had  gone 


200  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

to  a  German  town  to  reside,  and  appeared  to  be  living 
very  quietly.  Gerald  did  not  intend  to  return  until  the 
war  had  ended. 

Madge  roused  herself  a  little,  and  assisted  Jessie  in  her 
preparations.  It  was  to  be  very  simple. 

u  We  cannot  give  him  grandeur  and  luxury ;  so  it  is  not 
worth  while  to  go  beyond  our  usual  fashion,"  she  said.  "I 
used  to  feel  that  one  ought  to  do  her  best  for  a  person  of 
higher  station,  and  you  know  how  we  did  try  for  aunt 
Waltham  !  But  now  I  am  quite  content  to  be  considered 
poor." 

Jessie  smiled  in  her  thoughtful  way. 

Their  table  was  nearly  all  arranged  before  Philip  came 
home.  Both  girls  were  in  white  —  Madge  with  some 
deep  velvety  crimson  roses  at  her  throat,  but  Jessie  with 
a  knot  or  two  of  blue  ribbon.  She  was  not  so  tall  as 
Madge,  and  there  still  hung  about  her  the  soft  shadows  of 
a  hardly  outgrown  childhood. 

She  came  in  to  be  introduced  —  rather  shyly  it  must  be 
confessed,  for  she  was  brought  in  contact  with  so  few 
strangers.  But  the  cordial  smile,  like  a  rift  of  sunshine, 
dispelled  her  slight  awe  at  once. 

There  was  something  about  Mr.  Graham  that  went  to 
each  heart.  The  refinement  of  a  gentleman,  the  ease  and 
culture  of  society,  and  a  reverent  tenderness  that  could 
have  its  birth  only  in  a  pure  and  noble  soul.  Jessie  was 
won  by  the  deference  he  paid  her  father  —  a  fine  respect, 
that  graced  him  as  well  as  Mr.  Ashburton. 

And  before  the  supper  was  half  through,  they  began  to 
consider  him  quite  in  the  light  of  an  old  friend. 

Afterwards  they  adjourned  to  the  small  garden,  for  the 
summer  day  was  not  yet  ended. 

"You  are  a  wonderful  florist,"  he  said  to  Jessie,  "only 
you  have  not  sufficient  scope  for  your  talents.  Flowera 
are  a  passion  with  me  as  well,  but  in  the  winter  we  have 
quite  a  conservatory." 


THE   CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  201 

"And  Jessie  has  a  few  in  the  window,"  said  Madge; 
"  roses  which  she  manages  to  coax  into  bloom,  and  latei 
sweet  violets,  with  three  or  four  callas." 

He  told  them  of  flowers  he  had  seen  abroad,  and  some 
curious  South  American  plants.  He  understood  their 
habits  and  needs  wonderfully  for  a  business  man. 

And  somehow,  there,  in  the  tender  falling  twilight,  they 
touched  upon  Home  Nook.  Not  in  any  sense  of  loss  or 
regret ;  they  were  too  well  bred  for  that ;  but  in  his  deli- 
cate way  he  learned  the  story  from  shy  Jessie  and  out- 
spoken Madge,  and  gathered  from  the  depths  the  sorrow 
and  the  brave  patience  with  which  they  had  borne  it  all. 

After  they  came  in,  another  discoveiy  was  made.  Mr. 
Graham  had  known  Gerald  Copeland.  That  seemed  to 
give  him  a  stronger  claim  upon  their  friendship. 

The  evening  ended  with  music.  Mr.  Graham  possessed 
a  rich,  mellow  tenor  voice,  and  sang  with  Jessie  while 
Madge  played. 

Just  at  the  last,  while  they  were  lingering  over  some 
music  quite  apart  from  the  others,  he  said  to  Jessie  in  a 
low  tone,  — 

"  I  have  to  thank  you  for  a  very  pleasant  evening.  I 
am  glad  to  have  met  you  all,  and  I  can  understand  now 
the  influences  which  have  given  your  brother  his  peculiar 
nobleness  and  strength.  Perhaps,  too,  I  am  gratified  not 
to  be  mistaken  in  my  first  impression  of  him." 

"O,"  she  answered  with  a  quick,  fluttering  underbreath, 
"  we  owe  you  so  much  ! " 

"  Would  you  like  to  pay  the  debt  ?  " 

She  flushed  deeply,  though  the  kind  eyes  were  not 
intrusive. 

"  We  cannot,  Mr.  Graham." 

"In  jart  by  allowing  me  the  place  of  a  friend.  It 
seems  as  if  I  owed  you  and  yours  something,  as  well,  but 
there  are  favors  which  are  never  burdensome." 

Jessie  understood.     It  was  as  if  a  strong  oak  Lad  grown 


202  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

up  in  a  single  night  in  the  midst  of  swaying,  clinging 
vines.  No  such  friend  had  ever  come  to  them  before. 
Was  it  a  steady  star  dawning  in  the  sky  of  better  days  ? 

They  all  talked  him  over  afterwards  in  their  pleasant, 
home-like  fashion. 

"  I  like  him  better  than  I  fancied  I  should,"  confessed 
Madge.  "  I  cannot  exactly  tell  how  it  came,  but  I  believe 
I  held  a  little  grudge  against  him.  And,  mamma,  I  really 
could  not  help  thinking,  if  Nelly  had  married  such  a  man, 
how  much  better  contented  we  should  all  be." 

Unwittingly,  Madge  had  touched  a  tender  chord.  As 
the  years  went  on,  they  felt  less  satisfied  with  Elea- 
nor's marriage.  Indeed,  the  summer  with  aunt  Waltham 
seemed  to  have  drifted  her  beyond  the  old  home  moor- 
ings. Was  she  happy  ?  Alas,  they  could  not  tell ! 

There  came  to  the  Ashburtons,  after  this,  a  feeling  of 
hope,  as  if  the  worst  of  adversity  had  been  overpast 
Clement  was  prospering  again,  and  Philip  in  a  situation  to 
take  care  of  them  all.  He  even  proposed  that  Madge 
should  give  up  the  school. 

"  No,"  she  said,  decisively.  "  I  am  not  needed  at  home, 
and  five  hundred  dollars  will  do  a  good  deal  for  us." 

"But  you  do  require  rest." 

"Which  my  vacation  will  give  me — just  enough,  and 
no  more.  Philip,  I  sometimes  think  I  am  troubled  with  a 
restless  spirit.  I  could  not  sit  down  and  be  quiet,  alter 
over  my  old  dresses,  tend  flowers,  and  fill  my  hands  with 
the  small  duties  of  household  life.  And  though  I  did 
rebel  at  first,  and  do  not  like  teaching  yet,  still  it  gives 
employment  to  brain  and  energy,  and  keeps  down  the 
secret  dissatisfaction." 

"  My  darling,  I  wish  you  could  find  peace  and  rest." 

"  I  am  not  miserable  —  don't  fancy  that ; "  but  the  tone 
was  rather  sharp.     "  It  is  only  the  crudeness  and  efierves 
cence  of  youth.      Did  not  Mr.  Graham  say,  a  few  even 
\ngs  since,  that  we  grew  broader,  and  deeper,  and  richer 
in  soul  as  the  years  passed  over  UP-?" 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  203 

He  kissed  the  throbbing  lips.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
Charlie  Westlake,  he  fancied  she  could  drift  into  a  peace- 
ful and  quiet  haven. 

She  was  rather  glad  to  get  back  to  school  aga»n  —  the 
old  groove  to  which  she  had  become  accustomed,  even  if 
she  did  not  fit. 

Mr.  Graham  dropped  in  now  and  then.  It  brightened 
their  lives  wonderfully,  this  fresh  contact  with  vigor  that 
was  not  crude,  and  refinement  that  was  not  weak.  There 
were  reading  aloud,  pleasant  conversation,  and  music.  Mr. 
Ashburton  enjoyed  it  all  so  much ! 

And  then  the  calm  tide  was  broken  when  they  were 
least  looking  for  it.  An  unexpected  wave  drifted  in  the 
wreck  that  had  gone  out  a  pleasure-boat  under  shining 
skies.  There  had  been  a  crunch  of  keel  on  jagged  rocks, 
but  the  pilot,  clinging  to  the  fragments,  had  steered 
straight  on  through  storm  and  darkness,  knowing  one 
friendly  port  that  would  never  be  closed  to  the  worn 
wayfarer. 

This  was  what  they  all  felt  one  chill  and  drizzling  Oc- 
tober night,  when  their  door  opened  to  Eleanor.  The 
mourning  robe  and  long  black  veil  told  the  story,  and  the 
baby  in  her  arms  appealed  to  them  with  a  peculiar  sense 
of  desolation  and  pity. 

Madge  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise  and  dismay,  but  the 
mother's  tender  arms  received  her,  clasping  her  to  a  heart 
tf hich  had  never  wavered  —  never  could. 

"  O,  mother !  mother ! " 

Such  a  sad,  yearning  cry,  coming  from  depths  long  re- 
pressed !  —  a  history  of  wordless  pain  and  anguish,  of  glad 
return,  even  in  the  sorest  humiliation. 

They  crowded  round  her.  Familiar  faces  and  voices  — « 
long,  loving  kisses  —  clasps  that  would  hold  forever,  in 
true  and  unfaltering  affection. 

"My  child!     Thank  God !" 

It  was  all  the  mother  could  utter. 


204  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

**  I  felt  that  I  must  come.  If  I  have  brought  you  son 
row  and  trouble,  forgive  me.  I  had  no  place  of  refuge." 

"  God  knows  how  welcome  you  are,  Nelly." 

It  was  Philip's  clear,  strong  voice,  good  to  hear.  To 
her,  famishing  for  familiar  sounds,  the  welcome  was  full 
of  indescribable  joy. 

"O,  papa!" 

She  kissed  the  trembling  lips,  the  sightless  eyes  from 
whose  gaze  she  was  shut  out.  Home  with  them  all  once 
more. 

The  baby's  cry,  strange  and  sweet,  broke  on  the  sad  rap- 
ture of  meeting. 

"I  came  so  suddenly,"  Eleanor  said,  in  broken,  quiver- 
ing tones,  like  a  sound  wildly  shaken  about  by  the  wind, 
"  I  could  not  wait  to  send  a  message." 

Jessie  took  the  little  one  in  her  arms.  A  sweet  face, 
framed  in  with  straggling  golden  curls,  and  large  eyes  that 
shrank  away  from  the  light  in  infantile  terror. 

Madge  unfastened  Eleanor's  bonnet  and  shawl.  A  still 
handsome  woman,  looking  young  for  her  five  and  twenty 
years  —  changed,  and  yet  the  same. 

"  O,  baby !  don't  cry.     We  are  safe  home  at  last." 

And  even  with  the  words,  Eleanor  Copeland  buried 
her  face  on  her  mother's  bosom,  and  sobbed  with  an  almost 
hysterical  passion. 

"  My  darling,  you,  too,  are  home  with  those  who  love 
you,  who  have  mourned  your  absence.  Be  comforted,  my 
child." 

They  soothed  her  back  to  comparative  tranquillity,  but 
she  was  exhausted  with  the  journey  and  the  excitement. 
Mrs.  Ashburton  laid  her  on  the  sofa. 

"  It  is  so  good  to  be  home  once  more,  and  to  find  you 
unchanged  !  Four  years ! " 

The  pale  lips  quivered.  They  had  not  all  been  happy 
years  to  her. 

"There  is  so  much  to  tell!      I  missed  the  last  mail. 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  205 

though  I  did  not  think  of  coming  then.  Poor  baby !  we 
have  had  a  weary  time;  but  we  are  safe,  thank  God! 
Have  I  surprised  you  all  beyond  belief?  n 

For  the  girls  and  Philip  were  still  watching  her  with 
wondering  glances. 

"  It  is  strange  to  think  of  your  being  here,"  returned 
Madge,  "and  I  am  wondering  if  we  shall  find  it  a  dream 
to-morrow  morning !  But,  O,  what  a  lovely  baby,  Nelly ! " 

"  She  is  tired,  poor  little  thing.  She  was  quite  sick  at 
first.  And  you  —  like  her  ?  " 

Eleanor  uttei'ed  the  words  timidly. 

«  Like  her ! " 

There  was  something  in  the  tone  that  went  to  the 
depths  of  Eleanor's  heart ;  for  during  the  passage  she  had 
continually  questioned  the  wisdom  of  this  step.  What 
right  had  she  to  add  to  their  burdens,  when,  in  her  youth 
and  strength,  she  had  refused  to  bear  any  for  them  ? 

"  O,  Madge,  Jessie,  mamma !  I  felt  as  if  I  must  come, 
even  if  I  died  at  your  feet.  And  yet  it  is  my  bitterest 
punishment  that  I  must  add  to  your  cares.  For  baby  and 
I  are  alone  in  the  world,  with  nothing  save  poverty  for 
our  inheritance." 

"My  darling,  where  should  you  come  but  to  your 
mother's  heart?" 

"  I  cannot  talk  to-night,  and  it  is  a  long  story.  But,  O, 
to  be  home  once  more  1 " 

Jessie  hushed  the  little  one  in  her  arms ;  but  though  they 
tried  to  talk  on  indifferent  subjects,  each  heart  was  too  full 
of  surprise  and  newly-awakened  tenderness  to  render  the 
effort  very  successful. 

"  You  called  her  Margaret,"  Jessie  said,  referring  to  the 
baby. 

"  Yes,  after  mamma.  It  seemed  like  a  glimpse  of  home. 
But  with  her  German  nurse  she  was  always  Greta." 

"  An  odd,  pretty,  and  very  German-like  diminutive.  O 
Nelly,  there  is  nothing  but  poverty,  and  yet  I  often  think 
it  is  not  so  hard  when  shared  with  one  another." 


206  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

tt  There  are  many  severer  trials,"  she  answered,  quietly. 

At  last  they  took  Eleanor  up  to  her  own  room.  The 
two  girls  had  shared  it  latterly,  as  they  rarely  had  anj 
guests  to  entertain. 

"  My  baggage  will  come  to-morrow,"  she  said.  "  I  could 
not  wait  for  it.  Jessie,  you  will  find  a  few  necessary 
articles  in  my  satchel." 

Little  Greta  made  no  resistance  to  her  aunt  Jessie's 
loving  offices,  being  too  sleepy  to  demur,  and  quite  accus- 
tomed to  strangers. 

"  Everything  looks  so  natural,"  said  Eleanor,  "  I  might 
have  gone  yesterday  for  any  change  there  is  here  ;  and  yet 
it  seems  an  age  ago,  judging  by  myself.  Only  —  poor 
papa  —  " 

They  kissed  her  many  times,  and  left  her  to  herself  at 
last  to  cry  softly  over  her  fatherless  child,  and  thankfu, 
that  there  had  been  a  place  of  refuge  for  her  in  her  des- 
perate need. 

Poor  Nelly !  Their  unspoken  presentiment  had  not 
misnamed  her. 

Madge  was  full  of  excitement,  and  could  hardly  sleep 
and  the  worst  was,  to  go  away  the  next  morning  with  just 
the  merest  glimpse,  enough  to  satisfy  her  that  the  vision 
of  the  previous  evening  had  been  true. 

Eleanor  Copeland  felt  weary  and  languid  after  her 
fatiguing  journey.  It  was  such  a  luxury  to  enjoy  this  rest 
and  quiet,  to  be  ministered  unto  by  loving  hands,  to  hear 
her  child's  fond  little  laugh  and  soft  voice  answering  tha 
caresses  showered  upon  her,  and  to  have  the  familiar  faces 
around  her. 

By  degrees  she  went  over  the  story  of  her  brief  life, 
that  had  been  crowded  with  anxiety,  and  pain,  and  shame, 
and  at  the  last  bordering  so  closely  upon  poverty  that  she 
had  been  compelled  to  toil  for  herself  and  her  child.  In 
all  their  thoughts  of  her,  there  had  been  no  fear  like  this — 
the  bitter  fruit  of  aunt  Waltham's  worldly  faith  and  doc- 
trines made  manifest. 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  207 

"I  ought  never  to  have  married  Gerald  Copeland,"  she 
confessed  to  her  mother.  "Even  then  I  felt  that  there 
was  a  secret  want,  that  I  debased  the  teaching  of  my  pre- 
vious life.  But  I  was  a  coward.  I  shrank  from  poverty 
and  hardships.  I  thought  this  step  would  smooth  the 
way  for  us  all ;  but  I  should  not  have  taken  it  had  I 
known  the  truth.  And  Mr.  Copeland  would  not  have 
asked  me  to  marry  him  but  for  one  assurance  of  aunt 
Waltham  —  that  I  was  to  be  her  heir." 

Eleanor's  face  flushed  deeply  in  her  bitter  humiliation. 

"  O,  my  child !  to  be  bartered  in  this  most  sacred  under- 
taking of  a  woman's  life !  I  should  not  have  so  weakly 
yielded  my  right  —  " 

"  No,  mamma,  you  shall  not  blame  yourself.  It  was  my 
punishment  for  wilfully  blinding  my  own  eyes.  Yet  I 
fancied  that  I  could  and  did  love  him.  If  we  had  re- 
mained at  home,  it  might  have  been  better.  His  fatal 
weakness  was  gaming,  though  I  think  he  played  little 
when  we  were  first  at  Paris.  I  was  very  happy  then  in 
the  excitement  of  pleasure  and  new  scenes.  But  after 
Greta  was  born,  I  could  not  go  with  him  continually,  and 
he  sought  other  friends,  returned  to  his  old  passion,  and 
played  heavily,  nearly  always  losing.  What  fatal  fascina- 
tion impels  a  man  to  continue  such  a  course  ?  Then  came 
the  news  of  aunt  Waltham's  death.  I  saw  that  he  was 
dreadfully  disappointed,  but  I  did  not  know  the  truth  until 
months  afterwards.  One  night,  maddened  to  frenzy  by 
his  losses,  and  having  drank  deeply  to  drown  the  con- 
sciousness, he  taunted  me  with  marrying  him  under  the 
false  pretence  of  being  heir  to  a  fortune.  O,  you  cannot 
realize  my  shame  and  dismay,  because  I  seemed  to  gather 
from  certain  past  evidences  that  it  was  true.  And  yet  she 
had  told  no  falsehood.  Everything  she  had  left  did  come 
to  me  as  her  heir,  only  she  had  led  him  to  believe  that  it 
was  a  large  amount.  I  was  indignant,  and  perhaps  re- 
torted too  warmly.  But  I  felt  so  outraged  I  That  she,  in 


208  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

the  guise  of  best  and  dearest  friend,  had  bargained  me  aa 
an  article  of  merchandise  !  and  that  he,  pretending  to  love, 
had  looked  further,  with  mercenary  eyes  1  And  then  I 
asked  myself  how  much  better  and  purer  my  motives  had 
been.  Not  absolutely  base  and  selfish,  perhaps,  but  still 
lacking  all  nobler  impulses.  I  saw  myself  as  I  was,  a 
hideous  mockery,  and  bowed  in  the  dust,  accepting  the 
destiny  I  had  chosen.  The  pang  and  the  humiliation  were 
terrible  indeed. 

"  Gerald  felt  ashamed  of  his  violence,  though  he  did  not 
express  any  contrition  in  words.  For  the  first  time  in  my 
life,  I  believe,  I  prayed  earnestly  for  strength  to  do  my 
whole  duty.  I  resolved  not  to  forget  for  an  instant  that  I 
was  his  wife ;  that  if  I  was  disappointed  and  mistaken,  he 
felt  himself  wronged  as  well.  Indeed,  we  might  have 
reached  a  better  and  truer  understanding  but  for  his  mad 
passion.  He  made  a  few  weak  efforts  to  overcome  it,  but 
they  were  as  straws  in  the  fierce  current.  And  having 
reached  the  end  of  his  fortune,  he  seemed  helpless  for  any 
other  course.  For  months  we  drifted  along  on  that  most 
uncertain  sea,  at  times  tolerably  prosperous,  then  on  the 
verge  of  want.  He  was  too  proud  to  return  to  America, 
or  to  make  an  appeal  to  his  friends.  And  then  I  realized 
the  necessity  for  a  higher  source  of  action  than  a  creed  of 
harmless  and  pleasant  morality.  I  was  so  utterly  adrift 
that  at  first  I  almost  feared  to  turn  to  God  in  the  depths 
of  ray  anguish. 

"  Yet  I  knew  that  I  must  rescue  myself  and  my  child 
from  the  degradation  that  was  rapidly  surrounding  us.  I 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  situation  in  a  school  at  Brussels, 
but  the  life  was  too  monotonous  for  him.  He  went  away 
in  a  fit  of  restlessness,  and  for  more  than  three  months  1 
had  not  seen  him." 

tt  You  were  not  with  him  when  he  died  ?  "  Mrs.  Ashbur- 
ton  asked. 

M  O,  mamma !     There  is  the  bitterest  shame  and  the  an- 


THE  CROWN  OF   DUTY.  209 

guish.    He  was  at  Frankfort.    And  the  cause  was  a  quarrel 
at  play  —  he  having  accused  his  opponent  of  cheating." 

Eleanor  covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  Well  might 
she  say  shame. 

"  He  was  severely  wounded,  and  taken  to  a  hospital. 
Three  days  after,  as  he  lay  dying,  a  letter  was  sent  to 
me,  and  delayed  nearly  a  week  on  its  route.  I  answered 
immediately,  but  mine  was  returned  unopened,  with  one 
word  written  across  the  envelope  — '  Dead.'  My  term 
had  just  closed.  I  found  that  by  selling  a  few  trinkets  I 
still  possessed,  I  could  return  home  or  go  to  Frankfort. 
Gerald  was  buried,  and  I  should  be  there  friendless  and 
penniless.  So  I  resolved  to  start  immediately  for  New 
York.  If  it  was  not  wise,  it  appeared  the  best  step  to  me 
then." 

Eleanor  glanced  at  her  mother  as  if  she  almost  feared 
that  she  should  not  meet  with  approval. 

"  We  shall  have  to  leave  it  in  God's  hands,  my  child. 
It  has  been  a  thorny  path  indeed." 

Yet  perhaps  not  without  good  fruit.  For  in  those 
hours  of  tempest-tossed  bitterness,  with  blackest  skies 
above,  and  storms  on  every  side,  she  had  let  go  her  own 
pride  and  strength,  and  cried  unto  One  mighty  to  save. 
Like  a  spirit  moving  on  the  face  of  the  turbulent  waters, 
a  hand  had  been  stretched  out  to  her,  and,  feeble,  helpless, 
she  had  clung  to  it  with  the  soul  of  a  child,  with  the  faitt 
that  here  indeed  was  her  only  refuge. 

Henceforward  there  would  be  no  weak  shrinkings  from 
duty.  Once  within  the  ark,  she  could  leave  the  struggle 
and  questioning  with  God.  He  knew  best  what  burden 
she  was  able  to  bear,  and  he  had  promised  his  grace  as 
sufficient.  She  would  hew  out  no  more  broken  cisterns  of 
her  own,  content  to  trust  to  the  wiser  guidance. 

It  was  wonderful  how  soon  they  all  settled  themselves 
to  the  fact  of  Eleanor's  return.     By  degrees  they  came  to 
know  the  particulars  of  the  unfortunate  marriage  ;  but  the 
14 


210  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

world  hoard  nothing  beyond  the  mention  of  Gerald  Cope- 
land's  death  at  Frankfort,  after  having  dissipated  the  most 
of  his  fortune,  and  that  his  widow  had  come  back  to  her 
family  and  friends.  A  few  of  the  Copeland  relatives  made 
a  call  of  condolence. 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  211 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THORNS     AND     BO8B8. 

THEY  all  felt  the  change  in  Eleanor.  It  was  as  if  she 
no  longer  held  a  life  apart  from  theirs.  Her  delicacy  and 
fine  sensitiveness  were  not,  as  hitherto,  aids  to  pride,  but 
had  in  them  the  ring  of  a  true  and  noble  refinement. 

Jessie  was  pleased  with  the  cordial  manner  in  which  she 
and  Mr.  Graham  accepted  each  other.  For  he  had  come 
to  be  a  regular  visitor,  a  pleasant  friend,  with  whom  they 
could  exchange  thoughts  and  beliefs,  who  brought  into 
their  circle  glimpses  of  the  true  beauty  and  pleasure  of 
the  outer  world.  Now  and  then,  he  took  the  girls  to  a 
musical  entertainment,  or  some  fine  lecture.  If  anything, 
he  appeared  most  familiar  with  Madge ;  but  Mrs.  Ashbur- 
ton  could  not  feel  easy  in  her  conscience  until  she  knew 
that  he  fully  understood  Madge's  peculiar  position. 

Baby  Margaret  supplied  the  one  lack  in  the  house. 
From  the  first,  she  took  a  strange  and  tender  fancy  to  her 
grandfather,  as  if  in  some  dim  way  she  understood  the  loss 
and  loneliness.  Not  a  brilliant  or  remarkable  child,  but 
quaint,  affectionate,  and  overflowing  with  sweet,  childish 
prattle. 

Eleanor  Copeland  took  up  the  battle  of  life  with  no  false 
pride,  no  shrinking  or  fear.  She  had  outlived  all  that. 
With  her  fine  musical  talent  and  a  voice  that  had  always 
been  remarkable  for  depth  and  sweetness,  she  was  not  long 
in  finding  a  place. 

She  had  youth  and  health  still  unimpaired,  and  a  courage 
which  seemed  to  inspire  them  all;  a  nature  late  in  blossom- 
ing, but  one  to  bear  golden  fruit  through  many  a  year  to 
oome. 


212  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

They  talked  sometimes  of  the  old  days  and  the  old 
home,  the  dreams  yet  unfulfilled.  In  two  years  more, 
Clement  expected  to  return;  but  before  a  twelvemonth  had 
ended,  Dr.  Conway  considered  it  quite  possible  that  Mr. 
Ashburton  could  be  restored  to  sight. 

"  Mother,"  exclaimed  Philip  one  evening,  as  they  were 
alone,  "  when  has  Madge  heard  from  Charlie  Westlake  ?  " 

"  Not  in  some  time,  I  believe.  Indeed,  he  has  not  been 
a  very  regular  correspondent  the  past  winter." 

"Do  you  think  she  cares  much  for  him  now ?" 

There  was  a  peculiar  anxiety  in  Philip's  thoughtful  eyes. 

"  Have  you  —  heard  anything  ?  " 

"  His  name  is  in  to-day's  passenger  list." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton,  with  a  rapid  breath. 

"  He  is  married,  mother.  It  was  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Westlake,  Mrs.  Catherine  Westlake." 

"  O  ! "  and  the  mother  uttered  a  cry  of  pain. 

"  Somehow,  I  have  half  suspected  this  all  along.  I  do 
believe  he  loved  Madge  sincerely  at  the  time,  and  meant 
to  be  true,  but  there  was  not  sufficient  depth  nor  strength 
in  the  regard.  And  now,  after  these  years  of  waiting, 
after  taking  the  sweetest  and  most  hopeful  part  of  her 
life  —  " 

"My  poor,  poor  darling!  Was  I  unwise  or  lacking  in 
prudence?  I  hesitated  to  consent,  but  he  appeared  so 
much  in  earnest,  and  certainly  did  act  nobly  then." 

"  O,  mother !  how  much  suffering  the  wrong-doing  of  one 
person  entails  upon  the  many  innocent !  It  hardly  seems 
right  to  me.  We  shall  have  to  pay  in  pain  for  his  heed- 
lessness  in  speaking  at  first,  and  his  selfishness  in  seeking 
something  that  looked  more  promising." 

"  It  is  his  cousin." 

"  Yes,  I  am  quite  sure.  Her  name  was  not  among  the 
passengers." 

"  There  was  a  rumor  to  this  effect  some  time  ago.  Jessie 
thought  best  not  to  mention  it." 


THE   CROWN  OF  DUTY.  213 

"Poor  Madge !  Mother,  our  girls  seem  to  be  unfortunate," 
said  Philip,  sadly.  "  Do  you  think  she  will  feel  it  very 
keenly  ?  I  wish  she,  too,  had  become  interested  iu  some 
other  person." 

"  I  fancy  that  Madge's  affections  are  not  easily  trans- 
ferred. She  has  grown  more  reticent  than  her  childhood 
promised,  but  her  feelings  are  strong  and  deep.  This  will. 
be  a  severe  blow,  even  though  she  has  said  little  about 
him  latterly." 

"  How  shall  we  tell  her  ?  " 

Ah !  how  confess  this  treachery  and  unfaithfulness  ? 
How  stab  one  so  dear  to  them  all  ? 

"  I  do  not  know,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  returned,  tremulously- 
"  Perhaps  we  had  better  wait  and  be  quite  certain." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it  now.  Then  she  has  not  heard  regularly 
from  him  for  six  months  or  more.  And,  after  all,  mother, 
this  is  such  a  common  event.  Hundreds  of  young  men  do 
it.  I  sometimes  wonder  if  there  is  any  truth  or  tenderness 
in  human  nature!  Yet  one  would  hardly  have  suspected 
him  of  such  villany !  " 

"I  do  not  suppose  that  it  was  a  deliberate  breaking  of 
faith.  By  degrees  he  has  outgrown  the  old  regard,  and 
allowed  his  soul  to  centre  around  a  new  fancy.  And  we 
hardly  know  what  persuasions  have  been  brought  to  bear 
upon  him.  Mrs.  Westlake,  you  know,  did  not  cordially 
approve,  and  May  had  a  large  fortune." 

"Yes,  that  was  the  under-current.  But  O,  how  base 
and  unmanly  it  seems  to  sell  one's  soul  for  gold ! " 

"  It  may  not  have  been  that,  altogether.  Miss  Rossiter 
was  a  pretty  girl,  and  what  the  world  calls  sweet,  winsome, 
and  not  un amiable." 

"  Mother,  you  find  too  many  excuses  for  him !  It  is  an 
act  of  cowardly  treachery !  If  he  had  told  her  six  months 
ago,  it  would  have  appeared  much  more  manly." 

"I  only  desire  to  extend  a  Christian  forbearance  towards 
his  fault  or  sin,  that  will  cause  us  much  pain  and  anxiety, 


214  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

and  perhaps  cast  a  shadow  over  our  darling's  life.  Mj 
feeling  against  him  is,  perhaps,  too  bitter,  Philip." 

The  son  had  only  to  glance  in  his  mother's  face  to  see 
the  struggle  going  on  within  —  natural  sympathy  and  in- 
dignation, against  the  wish  not  to  judge  too  harshly. 

**  I  believe  I  shall  take  some  pains  to  see  him.  This  is 
too  cruel  a  blow  to  let  pass  in  silence." 

"  Philip,  my  dear,  there  are  some  wrongs  best  left  un- 
avenged. Rather  let  us  try  to  comfort  her,  to  help  her 
bear  her  burdens." 

"  How  can  we  ?  " 

u  Recrimination  will  hardly  lighten  the  pain,  and  one 
sometimes  utters  hasty  words  in  such  an  interview  that 
had  better  be  forever  left  unsaid.  Let  that  part  remain  in 
God's  hands,  to  be  dealt  with  as  he  sees  fit.  If  we  can 
bring  any  brightness  into  her  life  —  " 

"O,  if  she  never  had  loved  him !  Mother,  what  is  the  use 
of  all  this  pain  and  suffering?  I  cannot  see  why  God 
should  send  it." 

"  Perhaps  to  render  us  more  careful  in  our  dealings  with 
others.  As  we  go  along,  these  mysteries  are  unveiled,  and 
though  we  may  not  understand  at  the  moment,  the  years 
will  bring  a  solution  to  our  darkest  problems." 

"  That  is  a  lesson  we  hardly  needed.  Both  Clement  and 
I  possess  too  much  manliness,  I  hope,  to  trifle  with  any 
woman's  regard." 

«  God  grant  that  you  may." 

"  But  what  are  we  to  do  ?  "  he  asked,  after  a  pause. 

M  Nothing  at  present.  I  may  take  Eleanor  and  Jessie 
into  counsel  before  anything  is  said.  I  feel  lost  and  un- 
certain myself.  It  may  have  been  imprudent  to  consent 
BO  readily  —  " 

"  I  am  sure  you  did  try  him  to  some  extent.  When  I 
think  it  all  over,  it  does  not  seem  as  if  Charlie  Westlake 
ever  could  be  so  base  !  O,  if  it  never  had  been  at  all  1 " 

Mrs.  Ashburton  sighed  as  she  called  up  Charlie  West* 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  215 

lake's  bright,  young  face.  Still,  admitting  that  it  was  more 
weakness  than  deliberate  sin,  would  not  lighten  the  pain  in 
store  for  poor  Madge. 

Philip  returned  to  the  parlor.  Mr.  Graham  was  there, 
and  they  were  chatting,  merrily,  even  to  Eleanor,  who  was 
really  much  more  of  a  companion  to  the  girls  than  she  had 
been  before  her  marriage.  He  studied  them  as  he  had 
scarcely  dared  hitherto.  How  bright  and  winsome  Madge 
gre-w  with  every  word,  and  how  Mr.  Graham  watched 
the  quick  flashes  of  color,  and  seemed  to  listen  with  an 
inward  smile  to  the  soft,  rich  voice  !  Ah !  if  that  dream 
could  come  true!  Mr.  Graham  was  a  man  quite  capable 
of  going  beyond  his  own  immediate  circle  for  a  wife,  if 
any  fancy  strong  enough  should  draw  him. 

Eleanor  had  obtained  a  number  of  music  pupils  already. 
She  hardly  knew  how  much  of  this  she  owed  to  Mr. 
Graham,  for  he  never  made  himself  conspicuous  in  kindly 
deeds.  She  found  her  few  years  of  foreign  life  and  cor- 
rect pronunciation  of  both  French  and  Italian  very  much 
in  her  favor. 

The  next  morning,  Mrs.  Ashburton  confided  to  her  the 
sorrow  overshadowing  Madge.  They  had  scarcely  men- 
tioned the  Westlakes'  name  since  her  return,  as  there  had 
been  so  many  more  apparently  important  subjects  of  con- 
versation. 

"  How  very,  very  unfortunate ! "  Eleanor  replied.  "  But 
you  might  have  known  that  a  poor  daughter-in-law  would 
be  most  distasteful  to  Mrs.  Westlake.  And  yet  I  hardly 
Bee  how  you  could  have  acted  or  decided  differently,"  she 
added,  in  a  quick  tone,  lest  her  mother  might  think  she 
blamed  her.  "  It  was  a  most  unwise  step  on  Madge's  part." 

"  The  poor  child  realized  nothing  besides  the  pleasure 
and  the  love.  I  made  them  wait  until  the  regard  appeared 
true  and  enduring  on  both  sides ;  but  our  human  eyes 
cannot  see  the  end  from  the  beginning." 

"Dear  mamma,  how  much  pain  we  have  caused  you, 


216  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

even  from  the  best  of  motives  !  I  used  to  think,  when  mj 
marriage  was  in  contemplation,  that  I  should  be  able  to 
do  something  for  the  others  which  might  lighten  the 
general  burden ;  but  how  miserably  I  failed  1  And  that 
Madge  should  come  to  sorrow  so  early  in  life ! " 

"  T  may  have  been  at  fault  —  " 

"  No,  mamma,  you  shall  not  blame  yourself.  Madge  was 
wilful  and  headlong  in  those  days." 

"  But  she  gave  up  so  sweetly  in  this  matter!  Whatever 
we  thought  best  she  agreed  with  immediately.  It  was 
partly  because  of  this  that  I  did  not  break  it  off  wholly  ; 
and  then  I  never  could  determine  how  much  right  I  had 
to  decree  separation  to  two  fond  young  hearts." 

"  It  is  a  sad  thing,"  returned  Eleanor,  "  and  we  can  only 
help  her  bear  it.  Going  over  the  path  to  look  for  mistakes 
will  not  take  the  keen  edge  from  the  pain." 

They  were  most  tender  and  considerate.  It  really 
seemed  to  Madge  that  they  were  all  trying  to  spoil  her 
with  care  and  tenderness.  And  because  she  did  not  wish 
to  appear  ungrateful,  she  allowed  herself  to  be  happier 
than  her  wont. 

But  the  secret  could  not  be  kept  forever.  A  letter  from 
Hetty  Bright  detailed  the  home-coming  at  length,  the  ele- 
gance and  beauty  of  the  bride,  the  great  state  of  Mrs. 
Westlake,  and  the  grandeur  of  the  receptions.  All  River- 
side was  discussing  the  event. 

"I  should  hardly  have  known  Mr.  Westlake,"  she  wrote. 
M  It  will  not  do  to  call  him  Charlie  now,  for  he  has  out- 
grown all  the  boyishness.  He  is  thinner  and  paler  than 
when  he  went  away,  and  there  is  a  grave,  grand  look 
about  him  that  seems  so  strong  and  manly  ;  yet  one  misses 
the  past  brightness.  I  have  a  queer,  old  woman's  fancy 
that  this  fashionable  wife  is  not  quite  the  companion  for 
him.  You  know  he  never  set  any  great  store  by  all  the 
Madam's  show  and  parade,  and  he  looks  now  as  if  he 
was  tired  of  it  all,  and  worthy  of  better  things.  Ah,  my 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  217 

deai",  how  many  lives  seem  to  go  awry  from  some  hidden 
knot  or  gnarl  in  the  centre,  that  no  one  is  able  to  see !  " 

The  letter  was  lying  in  Jessie's  basket  when  Madge 
came  home,  rather  earlier  than  usual. 

"O,"  she  exclaimed,  "another  long  gossiping  volume 
from  that  good  old  soul,  Hetty  Bright !  I  can  always  tell 
the  queer,  crabbed  handwriting.  May  I  read  it,  Jessie  ?" 

Jessie  placed  her  hand  over  it,  playfully. 
"  O,  if  it  contains  secrets  —     But  you  might  tell  me  part, 
at  least." 

Jessie  repeated  the  most  unimportant  tidings,  with  a 
trifle  of  embarrassment,  it  must  be  confessed. 

"  Why  do  you  watch  me  so,  Nelly  ? "  queried  Madge, 
rather  nervously,  bestowing  a  quick  glance  upon  them  all. 
"  What  is  the  matter  ?  " 

No  one  answered,  though  each  made  a  slight  effort. 
Some  time  Madge  must  know,  but  who  could  tell  her  ? 

"  O,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  have  heard  something  that 
concerns  me ! " 

"  Mrs.  Westlake's  family  have  returned ;"  Mrs.  Ashbur- 
ton  made  answer,  slowly. 

A  flash  of  rare  bright  joy  shone  up  in  Madge's  face  like 
a  sudden  burst  of  sunshine.  It  had  no  answering  gleam 
in  those  around,  and  it  seemed  for  an  instant  as  if  her 
heart  stood  still,  while  she  read  the  tidings  as  if  written  in 
a  tracery  of  flame  everywhere. 

"  And  Charlie  —    O,  you  need  not  tell  me  the  rest." 

With  a  cry  of  anguish  she  buried  her  face  in  her  hands. 
Something  had  been  wrenched  from  her  soul,  and  her 
whole  being  rose  up  in  resistance.  She  had  waited  pa- 
tiently, she  had  hoped  steadfastly,  she  had  believed  with 
all  her  soul  that  whatever  else  God  took  out  of  her  life, 
he  would  leave  this. 

"  My  darling,"  said  her  mother,  softly. 

"  O,  mamma ! "  was  the  reply,  in  a  quivering  voice,  that 
showed  how  deep  the  wound  had  gone,  "  don't  say  any- 


218  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

thing  to  me  just  now.  I  feel  as  if  I  could  not  bear  evei 
the  tenderest  word." 

With  that  she  went  out  of  the  room,  in  a  weak,  unsteady 
fashion.  Each  heart  longed  to  comfort,  but  silence  waa 
best. 

"It  is  a  hard  lesson  for  one  so  young,"  Eleanor  remarked, 
with  a  sigh.  "  It  seems  strange  that  such  a  burden  should 
fall  to  the  lot  of  Madge.  We  used  to  think  her  so  change- 
able and  volatile  in  the  old  days,  that  I  can  hardly  under- 
stand her  loyalty  through  a  long  engagement ;  and  it 
would  seem  as  if  she  had  just  the  nature  to  call  in  pride 
to  aid  her  in  any  extremity,  or,  at  least,  to  pretend  in- 
difference." 

"  No,"  replied  Jessie  ;  *'  Madge  is  too  honest.  Her  feel- 
ings are  very  strong.  Each  day,  I  think,  less  comes  to  the 
surface.  I  often  wish  she  was  the  bright,  careless  Madge 
of  old." 

"  I  am  not  sure  but  that  sorrow  and  trouble  bring  out 
the  strongest  elements  in  our  natures,"  said  Eleanor. 
"Prosperity  may  develop  certain  fine  and  noble  phases, 
but  the  positive  currents  of  the  soul  answer  oftenest  to 
some  severe  shock." 

"  And  yet  how  pleasant  it  is  to  be  happy  1  I  sometimes 
wonder  if  those  who  are  mercifully  shielded  from  sorrows 
give  thanks  every  day." 

"  There  are  very  few  lives  without  some  touch  of  bitter- 
ness," said  Eleanor,  sadly. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  felt  the  truth  of  the  trite  remark  keenly. 
How  many  peaceful,  happy  years  there  had  been  to  her 
life,  when  she  really  had  been  the  envy  of  her  friends ! 
And  yet  were  there  any  of  them  who  would  take  her  sor- 
rows now  ? 

Madge  came  down  to  supper  as  usual.  She  had  a  hard, 
strained  look  about  the  eyes,  but  there  were  no  traces  of 
tears.  And  afterwards  she  went  to  the  parlor  and  forced 
herself  to  take  up  the  social  duties  of  the  evening.  She 


THE   CROWN   OP   DUTY.  219 

felt  that  all  of  life  must  be  gone  through  with,  even  if  the 
vanished  light  no  longer  lent  a  glory  to  her  path ;  so  she 
would  not  even  allow  herself  an  hour  of  weakness. 

For  the  blow  had  not  been  altogether  unexpected.  Lat- 
terly she  had  believed  against  hope,  against  her  better 
judgment,  simply  because  desire  was  so  strong.  She 
could  not  endure  to  hear  her  recreant  lover  blamed  ;  so  she 
chose  rather  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  love  and  sympathy. 

Only  her  mother  ventured  upon  any  words  of  comfort, 
tacitly  blaming  herself  for  having  allowed  the  fancy  to 
ripen  into  love,  when  there  seemed  so  little  prospect  of 
fruition. 

"  No,  mamma,  I  do  not  see  where  you  could  have  helped 
or  hindered,"  Madge  made  answer.  "  It  looked  so  fair  and 
sweet  then,  and  I  was  so  ready  to  believe!  I  did  not  fully 
understand  the  wide  gulf  between  wealth  and  poverty,  or 
the  possibility  of  change.  But  it  is  all  done  past  recall, 
and  there  is  nothing  now  but  to  gather  up  the  fragments 
and  go  on,  making  the  best  of  what  is  left.  But  never 
think  it  was  your  fault." 

It  was  well,  perhaps,  that  something  came  to  engross  their 
attention  and  turn  the  channel  of  their  thoughts  —  an 
event  so  utterly  unexpected  that  Mrs.  Ashburton  was  be- 
wildered by  the  first  tidings  that  came  from  her  husband. 
Ward  Graham  had  asked  his  permission  to  endeavor  to 
win  Jessie. 

"  I  had  a  fancy  that  it  was  Madge,"  said  Philip,  in  the 
utmost  surprise  ;  "and  from  the  very  first  I  regretted  that 
miserable  Charlie  Westlake  business  so  bitterly,  for  I  knew 
that  it  would  always  stand  in  the  way.  But,  O,  we  never 
could  give  Jessie  into  better  hands." 

"  So  your  father  feels." 

"  And  I  am  more  than  thankful  that  one  of  the  girls  is 
to  be  happy.  Why,  it  is  really  magnificent ! "  warming 
into  a  bright  smile.  "  Mr.  Graham  has  considerable  fortune 
of  his  own,  besides  the  business  interest,  and  I  am  de- 
lighted to  see  one  man  above  the  Westlake  scruples." 


220  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"  You  must  forget  your  bitterness." 

"I  cannot,  when  I  look  at  poor  Madge,  with  her  pale, 
grave  face.  She  will  not  breathe  a  complaint,  but  the 
wound  rankles  in  her  soul.  I  wish  she  had  sufficient  pride 
to  shake  it  off.  He  is  not  worthy  of  all  that  devotion." 

"  We  can  seldom  measure  our  pain  by  the  event  which 
caused  it,"  was  the  sad  reply. 

Madge,  in  turn,  expressed  her  amazement. 

"I  never  thought  of  Jessie  at  all,"  she  said,  "but  kept 
wishing  that  Eleanor  was  beginning  her  life,  instead  of 
bowing  at  the  end  of  the  octave.  I  am  so  glad  1  for  Jessie 
deserves  it  all,  and  more." 

As  for  Jessie,  it  seemed  the  most  improbable  thing  in 
the  world  to  her,  and  Mr.  Graham  really  had  to  make  an 
effort  to  convince  her  of  the  truth.  She  pleaded  her  sur- 
prise, her  unfitness  for  the  station  his  wife  must  occupy, 
her  duties  to  those  around  her,  and  the  lack  of  graces  and 
accomplishments. 

He  listened  to  the  soft,  pleading  voice,  and  watched  the 
downcast,  tremulous  eyelids. 

"My  little  girl,  suppose  I  were  to  tell  you  that  I  was  the 
best  judge  of  what  I  most  needed,"  he  said,  with  a  grave, 
amused  smile.  "I  have  been  studying  you  since  the  even- 
ing I  first  came  to  supper,  and  I  think  I  have  found  what 
I  most  desire  —  a  woman  who  will  help  me  live  aright, 
whose  aims  and  wishes  are  not  all  of  earth,  earthy.  I 
want  a  companion  for  my  soul  in  its  more  serious  duties, 
as  well  as  for  moments  of  pleasure  and  enjoyment;  for 
the  grand  and  earnest  truths,  as  well  as  for  the  glimpses 
of  passing  fancy.  And,  in  turn,  I  wish  to  share  all  your 
cares  and  burdens.  I  want  to  have  only  one  heart  and 
mind  between  us." 

Jessie  raised  her  eyes  shyly.  To  be  the  chosen  com- 
panion of  such  a  man  —  were  they  both  dreaming? 

"Your  father  has  promised  me  a  son's  place  in  the 
household  that  I  have  come  to  esteem  and  admire,  and 


THE   CROWN   OF  DUTY.  221 

you  must  not  shut  me  out.  Although  there  have  been  few 
real  sorrows  in  my  life,  I  think  I  am  not  incapable  of  com- 
prehending  them.  Can  you  not  trust  me  until  you  know 
me  better  ?  " 

What  could  she  do  but  acquiesce  ?  She  had  appreciated 
his  kindness  to  Philip,  and  the  straightforward  manner  in 
which  he  had  repaired  the  so  nearly  fatal  mistake.  Learn- 
ing to  love  him  looked  like  no  hard  task  in  her  eyes  —  if 
she  only  were  worthy. 

"It  is  I  who  ought  to  hesitate,"  he  said,  "and  shrink 
from  asking  so  much.  My  first  youth  is  past,  though  I 
hope  never  to  grow  old  in  soul ;  but  the  disparity  between 
our  ages  is  something  to  be  considered  —  " 

"I  did  not  think  of  that,"  was  her  quick  reply.  "It 
soerns  as  if  I  outgrew  girlhood  long  ago." 

"Only  to  yourself;"  and  he  smiled  again.  "One  of  my 
dearest  pleasures  will  be  in  bringing  it  back  to  you." 

"  Can  it  come  back  ?  "  she  said,  not  doubtfully,  but  in  a 
kind  of  wonder.  For  there  had  been  so  much  walking 
through  shady  paths  since  then. 

"Yes,  sweet  and  joyful.  It  is  all  in  your  soul.  You 
have  only  to  take  the  love,  not  fearing  to  try  it,  or  to  use 
it  to  the  uttermost.  I  want  you  to  think  of  it  like  the 
other  love  in  one  way  —  all-sufficient.  And  I  want  you  to 
give  me  all  in  return,  that  is,  the  first  and  best.  It  will 
Beem  strange  for  a  while,  I  know,  but  you  will  come  to  un- 
derstand the  need  and  the  comfort,  the  hidden  meanings 
of  life  which  unfold  only  to  those  who  search  for  the 
sweetest  of  human  treasures." 

She  was  still  a  little  dazzled  at  the  completeness  of  it. 
In  their  lives  they  had  become  so  used  to  looking  for  the 
"  next ; "  the  sorrow  to  follow  the  brief  joy,  the  care  to  come 
after  the  restful  breath. 

He  held  the  key  to  her  hesitancy.  The  deeper  experi- 
ences had  been  his,  the  steadfast  truth,  the  tender  patience, 
the  wide  outlook  into  things  beyond  to-day.  It  would  all 


222  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

come  in  time.  He  must  not  hurry  her  over  the  simplo 
spelling,  the  short  words  of  grace,  and  faith,  and  trust. 
Her  soul  was  so  clear  and  clean  that  it  must  not  be  blurred 
by  any  impatience. 

He  took  her  in  his  arms  and  kissed  the  forehead  that 
was  all  one  rosy  flush,  and  the  drooping  eyelids  that  some 
day  would  not  care  to  shut  off  the  glory  of  a  love  given 
and  confessed.  Truly,  it  was  worth  waiting  for ! 

He  left  her  early,  guessing  rightly  enough  that  the 
household  would  want  a  little  tender  confidence  with  her 
before  he  took  his  place  at  her  side  and  preferred  a  claim 
which  must,  after  all,  become  highest  and  best. 

So  she  stole  softly  up  stairs,  where  they  were  all  gathered 
in  Mrs.  Ashburton's  room,  but  paused  on  the  threshold, 
her  face  crimsoned  to  its  utmost,  as  a  sense  of  the  new 
life  rushed  over  her.  A  strange  new  life  indeed,  different 
from  Eleanor  and  Gerald's,  from  Madge  and  Charlie's. 

Philip  caught  her  and  drew  her  forward. 

u  We  are  all  waiting  to  congratulate  you,"  he  said,  with 
a  peculiar  touch  of  tenderness. 

«  O,  mamma ! " 

Mrs.  Ashburton  enfolded  her  within  the  shelter  of  her 
motherly  arms. 

And  then  Jessie  felt  a  hand  laid  softly  upon  her  head. 
She  reached  out  hers  to  clasp  the  other. 

"  My  darling,"  her  father  began,  in  a  tone  of  deep  emo- 
tion, "may  God  bless  you  in  this  new  relation.  Though 
I  cannot  see  the  face,  I  can  trust  the  manly  voice  and 
honorable  conduct.  I  am  more  than  thankful  to  find  life 
opening  so  fair  before  you,  and  I  pray  Heaven  that  no 
shadow  may  come  to  mar  the  promised  joy." 

He  stooped  and  kissed  the  flushed  face,  and  Jessie  felt  a 
tear  drop  on  her  cheek. 

There  was  much  seriousness  in  the  rejoicing  —  partly 
out  of  a  delicate  regard  for  sad-hearted  Madge,  and  partly 
from  Jessie's  natural  gravity.  They  all  felt,  indeed,  as  if 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  223 

gayety  was  something  that  went  with  the  old  life,  and  could 
have  no  place  here. 

"I  wonder  what  aunt  Waltham  would  say  to  this,"  in 
terposed  Eleanor.  "  She  used  to  think  society  one  of  the 
indispensable  adjuncts  to  a  good  marriage;  and  here  is 
little  Jessie,  who  has  scarcely  stirred  from  her  Cinderella 
chimney-corner,  engaged  to  a  man  whom  the  world  courts 
daily,  and  would  be  proud  to  attract.  And  though  I  am 
too  sadly  wise  now  to  believe  wealth  the  great  good  of 
life,  still  I  am  glad,  for  Jessie's  sake,  that  she  will  be  raised 
above  the  trials  of  poverty.  She  has  done  her  duty  so 
nobly  thus  far,  that  her  destiny  seems  doubly  precious  and 
satisfying  to  me." 

"  I  stand  in  awe  of  it  as  if  it  were  too  grand  for  me," 
Jessie  said,  simply.  "  I  wonder  how  I  can  ever  fill  the 
station." 

"As  you  have  filled  this  one,"  replied  Madge;  "by  al- 
ways doing  the  duty  nearest.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  glad 
I  am.  And  it  is  odd  that  I  never  thought  of  it,  but  Mr. 
Graham  seemed  so  much  older  than  we  —  " 

"  You  are  determined  to  make  him  out  quite  ancient," 
interrupted  Philip,  smiling.  "  He  is  just  thirty-two  — 
twelve  years  older  than  Jessie." 

"  And  twelve  years  is  too  much,  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances ;  but  I  think  we  can  trust  him  not  to  grow  old  too 
rapidly,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton.  "  I  should  not  wish  to  bias 
Jessie's  inclination  on  the  subject ;  indeed,  I  desire  her  to 
consider  well  before  she  decides  —  " 

"  The  time  for  consideration  is  past,  I  am  afraid,"  re- 
marked Madge,  with  a  touch  of  the  old  quaintness.  "Jessie 
looks  as  if  she  had  made  her  election." 

"  I  did  not  think  so  much  of  that  as  of —  " 

"  Well,  Miss  Tender  Conscience  ?" 

"  O,  Philip !  do  not  laugh  at  me,"  she  entreated,  blushing 
painfully.  "  I  did  wish  that  we  were  rich  again.  I  ana 
almost  sorry  to  take  so  much  and  give  so  little  1 " 


224  HOME    NOOK,   OE 

"As  if  the  love  of  a  tender  and  noble  woman  wag 
nothing ! " 

"I  honor  him  for  his  choice,"  said  Eleanor.  "And, 
Jessie,  you  will  find,  in  your  contact  with  the  world,  that 
refinement  and  virtue  are  not  always  the  prerogatives  of 
wealth.  There  is  much  meanness,  and  baseness,  and  indi- 
gence of  soul  under  a  golden  exterior.  To  my  fancy,  Mr. 
Graham  has  but  few  peers,  and  it  is  a  high  compliment 
for  any  woman  to  have  won  such  a  heart.  But  never  think 
of  your  poverty  in  connection  with  him." 

"  No,  Jessie,  you  need  not  experience  any  fear.  I  do 
believe  Ward  Graham  one  of  the  noblest  of  men.  How 
oddly  it  has  all  come  about !  If  Madge  had  not  obeyed 
my  crazy  behest,  we  might  never  have  had  such  a  friend." 

Madge  smiled  faintly,  remembering  that  time  of  trial. 

"  To  have  made  it  a  perfect  romance,  he  ought  to  have 
fallen  in  love  with  her,"  said  Jessie. 

"But  there  are  few  perfect  romances  in  this  world,  and 
it  is  all  best  as  it  is,"  returned  the  sweet,  low  voice,  with 
its  underlying  strand  of  pain. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  225 


CHAPTER  XVin. 

A  VEXED   QUESTION. 

THE  Ashburtons  settled  themselves  very  qui  jtly  to  the 
fact  of  Jessie's  engagement.  The  spirit  was  one  of  tender 
thankfulness,  rather  thaii  any  intense  delight.  Circum- 
stances gave  it  a  kind  of  solemn  sacredness.  Eleanor's 
worldly  betrothal,  with  its  display  and  gratulations,  and 
Madge's  childish,  eager  promises,  were  so  different  from 
this ! 

But  each  day  Jessie  felt  more  secure  and  satisfied. 
When  the  first  strangeness  had  worn  off,  and  she  gained 
courage  for  some  shy  confessions,  they  learned  how  much 
their  souls  and  aims  were  alike  —  a  something  that  did 
r.ot  lift  them  above  the  petty  duties  of  life,  but  ennobled 
every  common  claim.  For  it  is  in  these  small  things  that 
we  have  our  daily  existence.  Now  and  then  there  comes 
a  great  sorrow,  or  trial,  or  temptation  ;  but  it  seems  as  if 
with  the  emergency  new  strength  was  provided.  And  the 
trivial  incidents  are  perhaps  the  true  test  of  character,  the 
hourly  patience  and  grace,  the  content  with  distasteful 
duties,  the  round  that  does  become  tiresome  at  times,  when 
the  soul  longs  to  fly  beyond  its  narrow  orbit. 

It  appeared  to  Jessie,  at  first,  as  if  leaving  home  woald 
be  quite  an  impossibility.  How  could  they  do  without 
her  ?  And  then  she  found  Eleanor  taking  her  place,  be- 
coming an  invaluable  companion  to  their  father.  The 
wonders  of  the  old  world  that  she  had  often  lingered  over 
in  a  spirit  of  ennui  or  carelessness  were  as  exhumed 
treasures  to  her,  now  that  Mr.  Ashburton  loved  to  listen. 
She  did  endeavor  to  attach  him  to  herself  when  she  knew 
15 


226  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

that  ere   long  he   would  be  called   upon  to  pait  with 
Jessie. 

Madge  kept  to  the  calm  tenor  of  her  way.  Even  her 
mother  was  shut  out  of  her  great  sorrow ;  indeed,  she 
said  steadily  to  herself  that  she  would  burden  no  one  with 
it.  Since  she  could  not  forget,  she  would  lock  it  in  her 
own  soul,  and  have  no  long  procession  of  pitying  eyes. 

And  thus  the  spring  came  to  them  once  again.  Mr. 
Ashburton's  operation  would  take  place  in  the  early 
autumn,  as  then  a  friend  of  Dr.  Conway,  an  eminent 
oculist,  would  be  home  from  Paris.  This  would  necessi- 
tate change  of  abode  for  a  month  or  two  at  least,  and  it 
was  judged  wisest  that  Mrs.  Ashburton  should  be  his  at- 
tendant. Mr.  Graham  was  deeply  interested  in  this  mat- 
ter, and  desired  to  have  a  son's  right  in  deed  and  name 
before  this  occurrence. 

There  seemed  no  good  reason  why  Jessie  should  refuse. 
Philip  insisted  that  Madge  should  give  up  school  the  com- 
ing year,  for  she  was  growing  vaguely  shadow-like.  Al- 
ways well,  she  said  ;  but  there  was  a  weariness  sad  to  see, 
a  shadow  in  the  eyes  that  had  once  been  so  bright,  a 
dreaminess  and  hesitation  unlike  the  old  promptness  and 
energy. 

One  pleasant  May  afternoon  they  were  gathered  in  the 
sitting-room,  Eleanor  reading  aloud  while  Jessie  and  her 
mother  sewed.  Madge  had  just  come  home,  and  was 
lying  listlessly  on  the  sofa.  Being  the  only  unoccupied 
one,  she  answered  the  ring  at  the  door  bell.  A  small, 
slight  figure,  dressed  in  deep  mourning,  the  tiny  gloved 
hand  looking  like  a  child's  as  she  raised  her  veil. 

M  Is  Mr.  Ashburton  at  home  ?" 

Madge  started.  A  face  that,  if  not  strictly  beautiful, 
was  still  a  marvel,  with  its  pearly  complexion,  delicate 
features,  and  waves  of  fine,  pale-golden  hair. 

"Mr.  Ashburton  1"  she  exclaimed  in  amaze. 

It  was  so  seldom  that  a    stranger  came  for  any  ont 


THE   CROWN   OF  DUTY.  227 

besides  Eleanor,  that  Madge  unconsciously  stared  at  hei 
visitor. 

"  Does  he  not  reside  here  ?  " 

The  voice  had  a  peculiar  sweetness  of  modulation. 
Indeed,  the  whole  air  of  this  strange  little  creature  be- 
Bpoke  the  extreme  of  refinement  and  cultivation. 

a  Yes ;  will  you  walk  in  ? "  replied  Madge,  collecting 
her  scattered  senses. 

The  folding-doors  between  the  two  rooms  were  wide  open. 
Madge  seated  her  visitor,  and  walked  straight  through. 

"  Papa,"  brushing  the  straggling  locks  from  his  forehead, 
"  a  lady  wishes  to  see  you." 

He  held  out  his  hand,  and  Madge  led  him  forward. 
The  visitor  rose,  extended  her  slender  fingers,  and  then 
questioned  them  both  with  her  eyes. 

"  He  is  blind,"  Ma<lge  said,  briefly.  Somehow  she  had 
taken  an  unreasonable  dislike  to  this  stranger. 

"Blind!  O,  Mr.  Ashburton!  Then  you  cannot  recog- 
nize, even  if  you  remembered  me.  I  am  Rose  Stanhope." 

Mr.  Ashburton  took  a  seat  with  quiet  dignity. 

"  Tour  father  — " 

"Papa  died  at  Genoa  —  in  February  last." 

There  was  a  peculiar  atmosphere  of  awkwardness. 
Miss  Stanhope's  fingers  worked  nervously. 

"Perhaps  you  prefer  seeing  papa  alone?"  Madge 
queried,  presently. 

"  If  you  please." 

A  scarlet  flush  overspread  the  fair  face  as  she  uttered 
these  words. 

Madge  rose  and  closed  the  doors  between. 

"Mr.  Stanhope  is  dead,"  she  began,  in  a  low  tone.  "I 
wonder  what  can  have  happened  ?  " 

Eleanor  glanced  up  thoughtfully,  studying  her  mother's 
face. 

"  You  know  there  was  some  —  " 

«  Hush  1"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton  softly.  "  We  shall  know 
in  time." 


228  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

They  heard  the  murmur  of  the  low  talking,  now  and 
ihen  rising  to  the  verge  of  earnestness. 

Jessie  folded  her  sewing  presently,  and  went  to  look 
after  some  housekeeping  details.  Little  Greta  woke  from 
her  nap,  and  climbed  upon  her  mamma's  knee.  The  spring 
sunshine  began  to  quiver  in  the  west,  mingling  with  the 
rosy  clouds  of  nightfall. 

After  a  while  they  heard  a  faint  stir  nnd  step.  The 
hall  door  closed,  and  Madge  flew  to  her  father,  who  was 
standing  at  the  back  of  his  arm-chair,  leaning  his  chin 
upon  the  palm  of  his  hand. 

"  Wasn't  it  strange,  papa  ?  " 

"Very  strange,  indeed.  What  does  Miss  Stanhope 
look  like  ?  She  was  a  small,  fair  child  —  " 

"  And  she  is  a  small,  fair  woman.  Papa,  I  believe  I  do 
not  like  her,  and  I  can  give  no  good  reason,  either." 

"  It  is  most  peculiar  and  perplexing ; "  and  a  troubled 
expression  crossed  his  face.  "  I  suppose  Philip  remembers 
the  circumstances  of  the  —  the  failure.  I  was  ill  for  so 
long,  and  I  feel  as  if  my  ideas  had  never  been  quite  clear 
upon  the  point." 

Madge's  pale  brow  was  scarlet  with  a  pained  flush. 

"There  was  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of,"  she  replied, 
warmly.  "Every  day  of  my  life  I  have  been  thankful 
that  there  was  enough  to  pay  all  the  debts." 

"  Let  me  lie  on  the  sofa  and  rest  until  Philip  comes  in, 
w  hen  I  will  tell  you  all  Miss  Stanhope's  story." 

They  saw  that  he  had  been  unusually  excited,  for  every 
liuib  trembled  visibly. 

Supper  was  on  the  table  when  Philip's  cheery  voice  was 
heard  in  the  hall ;  so  they  all  went  out,  and  no  reference 
was  made  to  the  occurrence  until  the  meal  was  nearly 
«nded. 

"  Mr.  Stanhope  is  dead,  and  his  daughter  has  been  here 
to-day,"  Mr.  Ashburton  said  to  his  son. 

"For  what  ?"  asked  Philip,  in  amaze. 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  229 

"Philip,  was  there  ever  any  suspicion  concerning  Mr 
Stanhope  ?  You  looked  into  affairs  while  I  was  so  ill." 

"No  —  except  —  "  and  the  young  man  flushed. 

"Well?" 

"  I  think  now  that  some  one  had  been  unpardonably 
careless.  There  had  been  a  good  deal  of  money  taken 
out  of  the  firm,  and  the  private  accounts  were  at  loose 
ends.  Mr.  Weir  was  quite  dissatisfied,  because  three 
months  before,  he  had  considered  the  house  in  a  very  fair 
condition." 

"I  surely  had  taken  out  no  unusual  sums  that  year,  yet 
I  was  much  surprised  when  I  learned  our  critical  state. 
There  had  been  some  heavy  losses  — " 

They  all  glanced  at  each  other,  remembering  aunt  Wal- 
tham's  censures,  thankful  that  their  father  could  not  see 
their  questioning  eyes. 

"  Does  she  accuse  any  one  of  wrong  dealing  ? "  asked 
Philip,  indignantly. 

"  O,  no,  no !  Yet  her  half-confessed  suspicion  and  desire 
of  restitution  surprised  and  almost  shocked  me.  She  fancies 
that  her  father  wronged  me,  though  she  did  not  say  it  in 
BO  many  words,  and  she  wishes  to  share  her  fortune  with 
us.  It  is  very  large,  I  believe." 

"Was  it  Mr.  Stanhope's  desire?" 

"Not  that  I  could  learn." 

"  Did  he  leave  any  writing  or  message  for  yon  ?  " 

"No.  I  asked  her  about  this  particularly.  She  said 
that  he  was  a  good  deal  troubled  in  his  last  days,  and 
spoke  of  me  frequently ;  so  she  fancied  there  might  have 
been  some  mistakes  in  settling  the  business." 

"Well,  that  is  most  peculiar,"  exclaimed  Philip.  "It 
seems  to  jie  that  she  must  know  more  than  she  con- 
fesses." 

"  Papa,"  said  Eleanor,  slowly,  "  would  you  accept  any. 
thing  ?  " 

Mr.  Ashburton's  pale  face  flushed,  and  an  expression  of 
something  akin  to  disdain  passed  across  his  lips. 


230  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"My  children,"  he  returned  in  a  tremulous  voice,  "I  do 
not  know  that  I  have  the  sole  right  to  decide.  Through 
ray  carelessness  or  imprudence  I  brought  misfortune  upon 
you  all,  and  no  feeling  of  mine  ought  to  stand  in  the  way 
of  your  future  prosperity." 

"But  this  seems  like  charity,"  remarked  Madge.  "If 
Mr.  Stanhope  really  had  done  any  wrong,  and  wished  to 
make  restitution,  he  ought  to  have  left  word  to  that 
effect." 

"  So  I  think,"  said  her  father. 

"And  she  wants  us  to  accept  part  of  her  fortune?" 
Philip  asked. 

"Yes." 

"As  a  gift  from  her?" 

"  A  kind  of  peace-offering,  or  from  pity  because  we  have 
prospered  so  poorly." 

"  Father,  I  do  not  know  just  how  you  feel  about  it,  but 
I  can  almost  guess,  and  shall  say  my  say  first,  being  the 
only  son  at  home.  I  do  believe  Mr.  Stanhope  wronged 
you.  When  his  wife  died,  she  left  the  sum  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars  in  trust  for  her  daughter.  That  was  just 
eight  years  before  the  failure.  He  mentioned  this  sum,  to 
be  sure,  but  the  creditors  had  no  right  to  touch  it.  He 
had  very  little  in  his  hands  at  that  time,  while  you  had 
considerable.  But  since  then,  we  have  all  labored  faith- 
fully to  keep  poverty  from  our  door,  while  Mr.  Stanhope 
and  his  daughter  have  lived  in  elegance  and  luxury 
abroad.  Could  her  fortune  have  supplied  them  with  the 
means,  and  still  be  so  large  that  she  does  not  know  what 
to  do  with  it?" 

It  was  a  rather  mysterious  case,  to  be  sure. 

"Perhaps  he  might  have  been  troubled  in  his  last 
moments ;  but  if  he  repented  he  should  not  have  been 
ashamed  to  confess  his  sin.  It  is  either  a  wrong  on  his 
part  or  a  charity  on  hers." 

"  Papa,"  Baid  Madge, "  we  have  had  many  troubles  and 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  231 

misfortunes,  but  it  seems  as  if  the  worst  might  be  past.  I 
may  be  hai'd  in  my  judgment,  but  I  do  not  want  to  accept 
one  penny  from  her.  I  feel  like  Philip  —  if  it  came  to  us 
as  a  just  due,  I  should  receive  it  thankfully,  but  otherwise 
I  would  rather  teach  school  all  the  days  of  my  life  than 
rest  under  an  obligation." 

"  Eleanor,"  said  her  father,  "  what  do  you  think  of  the 
matter?" 

Eleanor  flushed  warmly. 

"  I  am  not  so  ashamed  of  poverty,"  she  replied,  in  a 
clear,  proud  voice,  "that  I  would  willingly  accept  such  a 
favor.  It  would  be  only  a  partial  restitution,  after  all  — 
the  money  without  any  cause  or  explanation." 

"  Did  you  promise  anything,  papa  ? "  asked  Jessie. 

•'  No.  Indeed,  she  wished  me  to  consult  some  of  you, 
though  she  was  very  urgent  that  it  should  be  accepted  in 
the  end." 

"  It  is  such  an  odd,  quixotic  idea ;  and  I  do  not  like  it, 
altogether." 

"  She  gave  me  a  week  in  which  to  consider  the  matter." 

"  Then  we  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to  resolve,"  said 
Madge,  with  a  half  smile. 

"  What  is  she  like  ?"  was  Jessie's  next  question.  "  Did 
you  ever  meet  her,  mamma  ?  " 

"I  used  to  see  her  occasionally,  though  Clement  was 
better  acquainted  with  her  than  any  of  the  rest." 

"Mr.  Stanhope  never  appeared  particularly  fond  of  her," 
said  Mr.  Ashburton,  "  but  I  think  she  must  have  been 
devoted  to  him." 

It  was  a  subject  which  occupied  them  all  the  evening, 
both  in  thought  and  word.  After  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashbur- 
ton had  retired,  the  younger  ones  still  kept  engrossed. 
Various  motives  swayed  them,  it  is  true,  and  perhaps  they 
all  fought  harder  against  the  proposal  because  it  was  some- 
thing of  a  secret  temptation.  They  could  see  what  a 
tomfort  even  ten  thousand  dollars  would  be  to  them  just 
now. 


232  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

•'  Yet  we  have  to  come  back  to  the  old  idea,"  said  Philip. 
"Mr.  Stanhope  is  the  only  one  who  knows  whether  he 
wronged  father  or  not.  I  must  confess  that  I  incline  to 
the  belief  that  he  did  ;  but  if  he  never  admitted  this,  the 
money  is  simply  a  gift  from  Miss  Stnnhope,  and  we  are 
not  poor  enough  to  take  that." 

"No,"  they  all  answered,  with  quivering  breath.  For 
to  Madge  it  seemed  to  come  too  late.  A  year  or  two  ago 
it  might  have  given  her  happiness ;  now  it  would  be  mere 
physical  comfort ;  and  indolence  or  cessation  from  work 
was  what  she  felt  she  could  hardly  endure,  until  after  she 
had  fought  her  way  out  to  peace. 

Eleanor  shrank  from  it  as  a  snare.  This  time  her  eyes 
should  not  be  blinded  nor  her  judgment  warped  by  the 
glitter  of  gold.  No  word  of  hers  should  sway  the  others 
against  their  will,  or  humble  her  father  into  any  con- 
cession. 

To  Philip  it  was  a  matter  of  pride.  They  had  gone 
through  the  worst  of  their  misfortunes,  he  fully  believed, 
and  he  would  not  accept  this  aid  from  a  stranger  unless  it 
could  be  made  to  appear  that  it  was  their  right. 

Before  the  week  ended  they  received  a  note  from  Misa 
Stanhope  asking  them  to  appoint  an  interview  whenever 
it  would  be  most  convenient  to  see  them  all  together. 
This  could  only  be  in  the  evening. 

She  came  in  a  carriage,  and  unattended.  The  Ashbur- 
tons  had  discussed  the  subject  until  they  were  all  of  one 
mind,  and  perhaps,  in  their  desire  to  be  perfectly  just,  their 
"judgment  leaned  towards  severity  rather  than  mercy. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  met  the  young  girl,  who  faltered  a  little 
on  the  threshold,  and  held  out  her  hand  in  token  of  amity. 
But  they  could  never  guess  the  pang  that  went  to  the 
heart  of  this  stranger  as  she  gave  a  quick  glance  at  the 
unsympathetic  faces. 

She  took  the  proffered  seat,  and  threw  aside  her  heavy 
veil.  Young  and  lovely,  with  no  trace  of  care  —  nothing 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  233 

but  refinement,  cultivation,  and  ease.  She  might  have 
"  lain  in  the  roses  and  lilies  of  life,"  for  any  mark  her 
anguish  had  left  upon  her. 

There  was  an  awkward  silence.  Rose  Stanhope  wished 
that  she  had  trusted  herself,  first  of  all,  to  Mrs.  Ashbur- 
ton's  motherly  kindness. 

"  When  I  called  before,  I  left  a  proposal  with  you,  Mr. 
Ashburton,"  she  began,  slowly.  "  I  wished  you  to  consider 
it  with  your  family  — "  and  the  soft  voice  came  to  an 
embarrassed  pause. 

"  I  shall  depute  my  son  Philip  to  answer  for  me.  He 
represents  the  opinion  of  all,  I  believe." 

She  turned  with  a  quick,  deprecating  glance,  while 
Philip  Ashburton  responded  with  a  bow. 

"  We  have  discussed  it  with  all  necessary  deliberation 
and  patience,"  he  answered  in  a  rather  hesitating  tone ; 
not  because  he  wavered  in  his  decision,  but  talking  among 
themselves  was  quite  different  from  talking  with  her. 

"  I  hope  you  have  —  that  you  do  agree  with  me,"  she 
responded  in  tremulous  earnestness. 

"Miss  Stanhope,"  —  and  Philip's  tone  fell  to  its  softest 
key,  —  "  your  generous  offer  surprised  us  greatly.  I  think 
you  have  hardly  given  the  matter  due  consideration." 

"Yes,  I  have,"  she  interrupted.  "It  is  no  sudden  whim, 
but  rather  a  settled  purpose." 

"  With  us  the  question  resolves  itself  into  two  points  : 
it  is  either  a  gift  or  a  fancied  restitution.  We  are  not 
sufficiently  needy  to  be  willing  to  accept  such  a  costly  gift 
from  a  stranger.  The  story  of  our  poverty  and  misfor- 
tune may  have  awakened  your  romantic  interest ;  but  if  it 
is  charity  merely,  there  are  hundreds  of  others  more  neces- 
sitated. We  have  youth,  health,  and  employment,  and 
pardon  me  if  I  add  —  too  much  true  pride  to  become  the 
pensioners  of  any  person." 

"It  is  not  that;"  and  she  gave  an  appealing  glance 
around. 


234  HOME  NOOK,   OR 

"  It  can  only  be  a  point  of  duty  if  it  was  left  in  yoai 
charge  as  some  sacred  behest." 

She  flushed  deeply,  and  began  to  remove  her  glove  with 
nervous  fingers. 

"  Papa  spoke  of  you  all  in  his  last  days.  If  he  had 
known  that  he  was  so  near  to  death,  I  think  he  would 
have  left  some  charges.  But  it  was  quite  sudden  at  the 
last." 

They  all  felt  that  the  subject  was  a  very  delicate  one. 
Only  Philip's  straightforward  honesty  could  have  carried 
him  through. 

"  If  there  had  been  any  mistake,"  —  he  shrank  from 
using  a  harsher  word,  —  "  he  was  the  one  to  make  repara- 
tion." 

She  caught  at  the  word  eagerly.  "  Mistake,"  she  said, 
the  scarlet  deepening  in  her  face.  "  In  the  hurry  of  set- 
tling the  business  something  might  have  been  over- 
looked —  " 

"Nothing  was  overlooked.  Mr.  Weir  proved  very 
trusty,  and  I  went  through  with  the  accounts  myself. 
The  debts  were  all  paid,  which  was  a  source  of  great 
thankfulness  to  us.  The  record  of  both  men  stands  fair  to 
the  world.  Even  if  it  had  not,  I  do  not  see  that  your  pri- 
vate fortune  should  have  been  thrown  into  the  general 
fund." 

"  But  it  took  all  that  —  that  Mr.  Ashburton  had  ; "  and 
she  raised  her  face  to  the  sightless  eyes. 

"That  is  no  reason  why  we  should  call  upon  you  to 
make  our  losses  good." 

"  No,  you  do  not.     It  is  my  wish." 

"  Because  it  is  that  simply,  and  no  expressed  desire  of 
your  father's,  we  must  hesitate." 

"But  you  will  consent  at  length?"  sho  said,  implor- 
ingly. "I  am  only  one,  with  so  much  more  than  I 
need  —  " 

M  Miss  Stanhope,  I  do  not  wish  to  pain  you,  but  I  utter 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  235 

the  sentiment  of  our  whole  family  when  I  say  that  we 
cannot  accept  this  gift  from  you,  since  it  does  not  belong 
to  us  by  right.  For  the  kindly  disposition,  you  have  our 
warmest  thanks." 

"But  you  don't  know;"  in  a  voice  of  strong  emotion, 
as  if  some  past  recollection  rent  her  soul.  "  It  is  so  much  ! 
It  will  lie  useless  upon  my  hands." 

"  It  need  not  do  that,  surely,  in  this  world  of  want  and 
suffering." 

She  clasped  her  slender  fingers  hard,  as  if  in  pain. 
Somehow  she  had  fancied  that  she  could  confess  her  dim 
suspicion  without  any  injury  to  the  dead  —  that  they 
would  understand  it  in  a  spirit  of  tender  sympathy,  and 
help  lift  the  burden  that  lay  so  heavy  on  her  young  shoul- 
ders. But  their  strict  sense  of  justice  made  them  cold 
and  cruel,  it  seemed  to  her.  Could  she  accuse  her  father 
of  wrong,  when  he  had  never  hinted  at  the  fact  ?  True, 
she  had  guessed  at  the  secret  of  an  accusing  conscience  ; 
but  would  not  they  deem  it  most  unfilial  haste  if  she  were 
so  ready  to  proclaim  painful  suspicions  ?  O,  what  could 
she  do  to  make  them  look  upon  this  matter  in  the  light 
that  appeared  so  clear  to  her  —  to  let  the  dead  rest  in  his 
grave  without  blame  or  censure,  and  assist  her  in  repairing 
the  wrong  by  receiving  back  what  rightfully  belonged  to 
them? 

Perhaps  they  had  believed  it  from  the  first.  She  knew 
so  little  about  the  business  then.  She  was  glad,  with  a 
kind  of  innocent,  girlish  pride,  to  have  her  fortune  saved 
from  the  wreck,  and  be  able  to  share  it  with  her  father. 
She  had  not  dreamed  of  any  splendor  or  luxury  abroad, 
but  a  kind  of  quiet  life,  where,  away  from  all  excitements, 
they  might  learn  to  know  and  love  each  other. 

Instead,  she  had  held  court  like  a  little  queen.  No  want, 
DO  lack  of  anything  that  might  conduce  to  enjoyment.  So 
dhe  had  summered  in  the  gay,  glad,  girlish  existence,  fairly 
revelling  in  the  beauty  that  met  her  senses  on  every  side. 


236  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

From  this  she  had  been  awakened,  rudely,  and  yet  not 
with  rude  hands.  From  Mrs.  Westlake  she  had  heard  the 
story  of  the  Ashburtons'  misfortunes  told  in  a  hard,  un- 
pitying  way.  She  had  gone  to  her  father  for  explana- 
tions, and  found  him  strangely  stern  and  reserved. 

"  Ashburton  was  a  fool,"  he  said  —  "no  kind  of  a  busi- 
ness man,  or  he  would  have  looked  out  better  for  himself 

u  But  if  there  was  just  enough  to  pay  the  debts,  what 
else  could  he  do  ?  "  she  had  asked,  simply. 

"What  can  girls  understand  of  such  business  matters  t" 
was  his  sharp  response.  "  We  have  nothing  to  do  with 
them.  It  was  Ashburton's  look  out  if  he  chose  to  beggar 
his  children." 

And  then  Rose  Stanhope  began  to  think.  Hitherto  her 
days  had  been  like  the  flight  of  a  bird  over  sunny  mead- 
ows. When  the  strange  and  horrible  suspicion  first  tame 
to  her,  she  tried  to  banish  it  as  the  basest  ingratitude. 
But  now  and  then  some  sentence  of  her  father's  setmed 
to  stamp  it  with  a  sense  of  shameful  truth.  As  if  he  was 
afraid  she  might  suspect,  he  took  every  opportunity  to 
justify  his  course. 

There  was  nearly  a  year  of  failing  health,  when  she 
vexed  him  sorely  by  relinquishing  her  gayeties  and  devot- 
ing her  time  to  him.  He  wanted  to  see  her  the  wife  of  a 
count  or  a  duke,  and  reigning  in  titled  splendor.  It  might 
have  been  compassed  but  for  her  good  sense  and  deter- 
mination. She  would  not  give  her  hand  without  her 
heart,  and  each  day  the  consciousness  grew  upon  her 
that  she  was  enjoying  that  which  by  right  belonged  to 
others. 

Perhaps  he  felt  it  too.  Growing  more  and  more  into 
the  ways  of  a  querulous  invalid,  now  and  then  his  con- 
science smote  him  sharply.  She  longed  to  ask  him  for 
the  truth,  but  the  courage  never  came  until  it  was  too 
late. 

The  still  lips  in  the  coffin  must  hold  their  secret  forever, 


THE   CROWN  OF  DUTY.  237 

Like  a  flash  all  this  passed  over  Rose  Stanhope  as  she 
gat  there  with  those  clear  eyes  upon  her.  They  could 
glory  in  a  proud  consciousness  of  right,  while  she  was 
haunted  with  a  horrible  certainty  of  wrong. 

"  O,  Mrs.  Ashburton  ! "  she  exclaimed,  in  accents  of 
pain,  "will  you  not  plead  for  me  ?  I  have  no  loving  kin 
to  share  my  wealth,  and  it  is  quite  beyond  my  needs.  If 
you  or  yours  would  but  accept  a  part  — " 

"  Philip  is  right,"  said  Mr.  Ashburton,  roused  by  a  re- 
membrance of  Mr.  Stanhope's  neglect  through  his  long 
illness.  "  We  can  receive  nothing  from  a  latent  sense  of 
pity.  If  your  father  felt  that  there  had  been  any  undue 
advantage  taken,  I  think  he  would  have  desired  to  make 
amends.  Let  the  matter  rest  where  it  is.  We  shall 
always  be  obliged  for  the  kindly  thought  prompting  you, 
but  since  God  has  kept  us  from  want  in  the  past,  we  can 
trust  him  for  the  future." 

He  could  not  have  uttered  this  if  he  harl  seen  the  im- 
ploring face.  Jessie's  tender  heart  was  strangely  moved. 

Rose  Stanhope  could  not  trust  her  voice  to  argue 
further.  She  had  hardly  dreamed  of  being  so  coldly  and 
positively  repulsed.  The  scheme  was  a  wild  one,  she  ad- 
mitted to  herself,  and  perhaps  they  were  right.  Who 
would  be  willing  to  receive  munificence  from  a  stranger? 
How  foolish  she  had  been  to  fancy  they  would  be  ready  to 
invite  her  into  their  household  as  a  friend ! 

She  rose  in  awkward  bewilderment.  "There  is  noth- 
ing I  can  do  ?  "  she  said,  slowly. 

"  Nothing,"  in  Philip's  deep,  manly  tone.  "  Since  God 
prospers  me,  it  is  my  duty  and  pleasure  to  care  for  the 
rebt." 

Miss  Stanhope  moved  towards  the  door. 

"  I  must  bid  you  good  night  then,"  she  said,  in  a  low, 
loustrained  manner. 

No  friendly  hand  clasped  hers;  yet  they  did  not  stand 
aloof  from  any  ill  will.  It  was  more  the  strangeness 


238  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

and  confusion  of  the  moment,  and  the  opportunity  that 
might  have  united  them  in  tender  bonds  passed  unim- 
proved ;  but  their  adieus  were  breathed  in  a  subdued 
tone. 

Philip  handed  her  into  the  carriage.  When  she  stum- 
bled a  little,  he  did  not  think  it  was  because  her  eyes  were 
blinded  by  tears. 


THB  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  239 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

TOUCHING  THE  GOLDEN  SHOIE. 

"  WHAT  a  strange  occurrence ! "  exclaimed  Philip,  re- 
turning to  the  parlor  where  the  rest  sat  in  surprised  silence. 

"  It  is  not  every  day  that  one  has  a  fortune,  or  part  of  a 
fortune  offered,  for  his  or  her  acceptance.  Were  we  wise 
to  refuse  ?  " 

"Philip!" 

"  Father,  for  myself  I  could  not  have  touched  a  dollar 
of  it.  There  is  nothing  to  regret  in  the  decision.  But  it 
seems  to  me  now  that  part  of  our  misfortune  was  Mr. 
Stanhope's  fault." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  judge  or  condemn  unfairly,"  returned 
Mr.  Ashburton,  "  but  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  some 
past  events  that  might  have  aroused  suspicion.  Mr.  Stan- 
hope appeared  to  dread  an  interview  with  me  after  my 
illness,  and  never  even  took  the  trouble  to  call  upon  me 
here  in  the  city.  And  then  the  style  he  has  managed  to 
maintain  abroad  has  something  rather  questionable  in  it. 
He  gave  out  at  first  that  he  had  received  a  lucrative  offer; 
but  it  seems  that  he  did  no  business  while  absent,  and  he 
certainly  would  not  have  spent  his  daughter's  fortune  so 
lavishly,  unless  he  believed  that  he  had  some  right  to  it." 

"  Then  you  do  feel  assured  that  he  wronged  you !  I 
must  confess  that  I  can  hardly  help  believing  it  also." 

"  Yet  you  refused  to  receive  back  anything,"  said  Madge, 
in  surprise. 

"My  dear  child,  it  would  be  impossible  to  tell  what  amount 
did  rightfully  belong  to  me.  I  would  much  rather  suffer 
wrong  than  do  wrong,  and  I  certainly  would  not  wish  tc 


240  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

defraud  Miss  Stanhope  of  a  penny.  It  is  one  of  those  pe 
culiar  affairs  which  never  can  be  settled  in  accordance  with 
any  law,  and  had  best  remain  where  it  is.  We  could  not 
take  a  gift  from  her,  neither  could  we  accuse  her  dead 
father  of  dishonest  dealing." 

"And  yet  I  felt  sorry  for  her,"  said  Jessie,  slowly,  "she 
looked  so  troubled  and  anxious." 

"A  trifle  pale  and  embarrassed,"  responded  Madge; 
"  but  there  was  an  air  of  elegance  and  society  about  her 
that  somehow  hardened  my  heart  against  her.  I  could 
not  help  contrasting  her  years  of  ease  and  delight  with 
ours  of  toil  and  perplexity." 

"You  must  not  let  your  hardships  render  you  unjust  and 
narrow,"  said  her  mother. 

"No,  mamma,  I  shall  try  to  strive  against  it.  But  did 
she  think  a  few  thousand  dollars  would  make  amends  for 
such  a  wrong,  if  there  was  one  ? " 

"  Nothing  in  her  power  can  make  amends,"  said  Philip, 
decisively.  "  If  the  losses  had  not  been  quite  so  heavy, 
papa  could  have  retrieved  them  by  mortgaging  Home 
Nook.  I  could  have  gone  into  business,  and  in  a  few 
years  we  should  have  been  at  ease  again.  I  know  that 
Mr.  Weir  thought  there  had  been  rather  blind  dealing 
somewhere.  Her  money  cannot  give  us  back  the  old  hap- 
piness intact,  and,  as  father  says,  we  never  should  know 
just  how  much  to  take;  so  it  was  best  not  to  accept 
any." 

They  were  all  satisfied,  though  the  pale,  sweet  face 
haunted  Jessie  long  afterwards.  None  of  them  dreamed 
for  a  moment  of  renewing  the  acquaintance.  It  could  not 
be  taken  upon  any  basis  of  friendship ;  so  it  was  really  not 
worth  cultivating. 

And  yet,  if  they,  so  rich  in  love,  in  tender  family  ties, 
could  have  understood  her  sorrow  and  desolation,  and  the 
hopts  that  had  been  so  ruthlessly  dashed  to  the  ground ! 
No  kindred,  as  she  had  said,  save  one  uncle,  her  father's 


THE  CEOWN   OF   DUTY.  241 

brother,  and  a  cousin,  his  son,  whom  she  never  had  ad- 
mired. She  had  almost  fancied  they  might  receive  her  in 
their  midst,  and  give  her  a  sister's  place. 

So  they  took  up  their  separate  ways,  all  for  lack  of 

"  one  unsounded  word 
To  open  up  the  sympathetic  heart." 

For  the  Ashburtons  had  other  sources  of  interest.  Mr. 
Graham  had  petitioned  for  a  nearer  and  dearer  right  to 
Jessie,  who,  in  her  first  surprise,  demurred  a  little. 

"My  dear  Jessie,"  he  said,  with  a  quaint,  sweet  smile, 
"it  must  be  thought  of  some  time,  since  I  do  not  expect  t~ 
wait  forever,  I  must  confess.  And  it  seems  to  me  th« 
coming  winter  will  bring  a  few  changes,  in  any  event ;  s** 
we  may  as  well  prepare  for  them." 

She  colored  daintily  at  thus  being  linked  with  his  life 
Perhaps,  indeed,  she  had  thought  too  little  of  it. 

"  I  want  a  right  to  take  my  share  in  household  pleasures 
and  cares,  since  they  are  seldom  overpast  to  any  human 
soul  this  side  of  heaven,  and  the  delight  of  sharing  your 
sweet  duties,  as  they  can  hardly  be  given  up  as  yet." 

"  You  are  so  kind ! "  and  the  quick  tears  sprang  to  Jessie's 
eyes. 

"  Some  time  I  shall  urge  a  more  selfish  claim.  At  pres- 
ent, you  would  hardly  enjoy  even  the  most  exquisite  hap- 
piness away  from  them  ;  so  we  will  take  our  long,  bright 
holiday  when  you  are  to  study  no  one's  whims  but  mine> 
in  some  of  the  years  to  come.  I  have  planned  a  little  tour 
late  in  the  summer,  when  Madge  is  at  liberty,  for  I  think 
the  poor  child  needs  rest  and  recreation  !  " 

"  O,  how  can  I  thank  you !  You  are  always  looking  for 
the  things  and  the  people  outside.  I  am  so  glad  ! " 

In  her  eager  joy  she  bowed  her  fair  head  to  the  arm 
that  encircled  her,  and  pressed  her  lips  to  the  hand. 

"  My  little  darling ! "     He  raised  her  face,  and  as  their 
eyes  met,  a  great  confusion  overwhelmed  her. 
16 


242  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

"  O,"  she  exclaimed,  with  sudden  penitence.  "  Forgive 
me !  I  have  been  BO  used  to  thinking  of  them  first  —  n 

Her  shame  and  distress  were  so  genuine  that  he  smiled, 
although  he  pitied  her. 

"My  little  girl,  I  try  to  make  allowance,"  he  said,  with 
a  rather  amusing  gravity,  as  a  peculiar  light  twinkled  in  his 
eyes.  "  So  that  I  am  not  crowded  out  —  " 

She  placed  both  small  hands  in  his,  and  turned  the  lovely, 
pleading  eyes  to  his,  lustrous  as  they  were  with  the  tears 
she  resolutely  crowded  back.  She  had  lived  so  much  in 
the  lives  of  others,  grown  so  blessedly  content  with  giving, 
that  she  hardly  knew  what  it  was  to  have  something  to 
keep  —  a  joy  of  her  very  own.  Her  voice  faltered,  and 
quivering  red  and  white  shadowed  her  countenance  like 
summer  drifts  blowing  about  the  sky. 

"I  want  you  to  believe  that  I  love  you;  that  if  I  had 
learned  such  a  thing  was  not  possible  to  the  very  utmost 
thought  and  feeling,  I  would  have  said  so.  But  I  have 
been  a  little  wrong  —  keeping  back  part,  perhaps  —  " 

"  My  darling,  that  is  enough  ; "  and  he  stopped  the  sweet 
lips  with  kisses.  "  I  do  believe  in  you,  and  trust  you,  and 
I  think,  too,  that  I  understand  the  peculiarities  of  the 
position.  I  liked  you  all  so  much  at  first,  for  the  tender 
household  affection  subsisting  between  parents  and  brothers 
and  sisters.  I  shall  always  love  Madge  for  her  warm  es- 
pousal of  Philip's  wrongs.  And  at  present  I  should  be 
cruel  to  take  you  entirely  away  from  them;  yet  I  am  man 
enough  to  want  you  to  be  glad  to  come  to  me." 

"  I  am  glad  to  come  —  whenever  you  like,"  she  said, 
bravely,  hiding  her  crimson  face  on  his  shoulder. 

a  We  will  have  it  quiet  and  home-like ;  no  fuss,  but 
just  a  sweet  old-fashioned  marriage,  where  I,  Ward,  take 
thee,  Jessie.  And  then,  for  a  little  while,  events  may 
shape  our  lives  and  our  surroundings ;  only,  some  time,  it 
must  be  my  home,  and  my  wife.  It  is  so  precious  to  me  to 
have  the  right  to  care  for  you,  to  make  your  way  blossom 
again  with  roses." 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  243 

She  waa  crying  softly,  then,  with  a  great  joy,  and  some 
misgivings  of  conscience.  She  had  not  loved  him  with 
the  entireness  that  he  had  a  right  to  demand,  but  God 
would  help  her  to  do  that  in  the  future. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  was  consulted.  It  seemed  quite  impos- 
sible to  her  that  Jessie  could  be  made  ready  by  the  first  of 
August. 

"Indeed,  mamma,"  responded  Eleanor,  "I  think  she 
might.  Mr.  Graham  wishes  it  very  much,  and  he  has 
been  by  far  too  kind  for  us  to  disregard  his  desires.  For 
years  Jessie  has  been  devoted  to  the  family,  shrinking 
from  no  task  or  duty.  Madge  and  I  can  take  her  place, 
and  will  do  it  with  the  utmost  pleasure.  She  deserves 
some  reward." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  gave  thanks  in  her  heart  that  Eleanor 
did  see  the  matter  in  this  light.  She  was  redeeming  the 
past  nobly,  drawing  the  household  around  her  by  a  charm 
they  had  never  experienced  in  her  before.  She  made  light 
of  their  troubles  and  perplexities,  or  attacked  them  with 
so  resolute  a  courage  that  they  soon  vanished. 

The  preparations  could  not  be  very  extensive.  Besides 
the  lack  of  time,  they  were  still  too  poor  to  indulge  in 
much  elegance.  But  one  day  they  were  overwhelmed 
with  surprise. 

First  came  a  sewing  machine,  and  then  sundry  mys- 
terious packages  of  dry  goods. 

"  I  cannot  understand  it  at  all,"  exclaimed  Jessie,  in  ex- 
treme bewilderment.  "  Surely  Philip  has  not  undertaken 
this  without  a  word ! " 

"No,  it  is  not  Philip;"  and  a  warm  glow  came  in  Eleanor's 
face.  "  Dear  Jessie,  I  want  you  to  accept  this  from  me." 

"  But  how  can  you  —  " 

a  I  am  not  imprudent  or  extravagant,  I  assure  you.  I 
still  had  in  my  possession  some  of  aunt  Waltham's  dia- 
monds—  the  ear-rings  —  which  were  valuable.  I  did 
mean  at  first  to  give  them  to  you ;  but  you  can  be 


244  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

without  diamonds,  and  the  money  in  other  things  would 
prove  so  much  more  judicious.  The  brooch  I  sold  long  ago, 
when  I  was  in  a  sore  strait." 

"  It  is  too  generous,  Nelly ; "  and  Jessie  clasped  her  arms 
around  her  sister's  neck.  "  For  you  have  little  Greta  to 
think  of—  " 

"  Philip  and  Clement  will  assist  me  if  my  health  should 
fail,  or  any  misfortune  overtake  me.  And  it  seems  as  if 
we  needed  this  just  now.  It  was  not  a  very  fortunate 
legacy  for  me,  you  know,  in  some  respects  at  least,  though 
it  did  me  good  service  in  time  of  trouble." 

Jessie  was  deeply  touched. 

"  Mr.  Graham  knows  that  we  are  poor,"  she  said,  softly. 
u  And  better  than  all,  he  understands  how  impossible  it  is 
to  be  grand  on  a  little  money.  I  never  thought  to  feel 
quite  so  free  —  indeed,  the  idea  of  marrying  a  rich  man 
rather  troubled  me  at  first." 

"  As  it  well  might  if  he  had  nothing  besides  his  money.*1 

"And  I  cannot  help  wondering  now  how  it  will  seem  to 
have  servants ;  though  he  said  once  he  had  resolved 
never  to  marry  a  woman  who  did  not  know  how  to  order 
her  own  household.  But  this  has  been  so  different  —  " 

"  Still,  it  will  not  unfit  you  for  greater  things.  It  is  for- 
tunate that  you  have  kept  up  with  your  music  and  some 
other  branches  of  education." 

"  I  don't  suppose  I  should  have,"  said  Jessie,  thought- 
fully, "  if  it  had  not  been  for  papa's  blindness.  And  so," 
with  her  quaint,  cheerful  smile,  "  some  good  has  been 
mixed  with  this  bitter." 

"  Yes.  For  it  is  true  that  in  the  busy,  weary  life  which 
poverty  entails,  one  does  not  find  a  great  deal  of  time  for 
the  finer  and  higher  graces.  Nay,  do  not  look  as  if  I  had 
uttered  heresy :  one  can  find  happiness  in  any  station  if  one 
makes  it,  but  to  some  natures  poverty  would  always  be  a 
trial,  even  after  pride  was  thrust  aside,  simply  in  its  lack  of 
refining  elements.  We  had  ours  before  the  losses ;  so  there 


THE   CROWN  OP  DUTY.  246 

was  little  danger  of  becoming  narrow  or  commonplace 
And  I  shall  always  honor  Mr.  Graham  in  that,  when  he 
(stepped  out  of  his  sphere  to  marry,  he  chose  some  one 
who  could  grace  his  position  as  well  as  her  own." 

Jessie  colored  warmly.  It  was  so  good  to  have  this 
dtrong  and  tender  sister  now  when  Madge's  brightness  and 
strength  came  only  in  fitful  moods ! 

"  Nelly  is  just  royal,"  said  Philip,  when  he  heard  the 
story.  "All  the  fine  gold  in  her  nature  is  coming  out.  I 
begin  to  see  the  use  of  her  trials ;  though,  when  she  first 
came  back  to  us  with  her  baby  in  her  arms,  I  could  only 
think  of  her  as  the  wreck  of  a  splendid  possibility." 

"  Stranded  on  the  treacherous  shore,  but  not  wrecked," 
said  their  mother,  tenderly. 

So  the  girls  went  to  work  in  heartsome  earnest.  Jessie's 
attire  was  to  be  simply  pretty.  The  marriage  would  be  a 
quiet  one,  in  church,  with  a  brief  journey  to  Niagara  after- 
wards. 

When  Madge  found  that  she  had  been  included  in  the 
small  party,  she  roused  herself  and  made  a  vigorous  protest. 

"  I  will  be  your  bridesmaid,  Jessie  dear,  and  have  the 
new  silk  you  covet  for  me,  but  I  cannot  go  with  you.  In 
the  first  place,  I  should  not,  out  of  pure  sisterly  regard  for 
Mr.  Graham.  We  have  all  fallen  so  into  the  habit  of  ap- 
propriating him  and  you,  that  I  know  it  will  be  a  positive 
luxury  for  him  to  have  an  undisturbed  right  to  his  wife  for 
a  few  weeks." 

"  But  he  wishes  it,"  pleaded  Jessie,  rather  startled  at  the 
defection. 

"  Out  of  the  generosity  of  his  unselfish  heart ;  but  to 
show  him  that  he  does  not  possess  all  the  goodness  in  the 
world,  I  shall  be  equally  generous,  and  stay  at  home." 

It  was  true.  Madge  had  struck  the  key-note,  and  Jessie 
felt  the  force  of  her  affectionate  reasoning.  She  could  say 
DO  more. 

Sooner  or  later  they  told  him  everything.    From  little 


246  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

half  confidences  he  guessed  Madge's  secret,  and  the  pecu- 
liar interviews  with  Miss  Stanhope  had  also  been  discussed. 
He  looked  at  the  matter  in  the  same  light  they  did,  but  it 
gave  him  an  idea  which  he  meant  to  put  into  execution 
ere  long,  as  a  surprise  for  his  betrothed,  and  this  had 
hastened  his  arrangements  a  little. 

Jessie  reported  Madge's  refusal ;  but  Mr.  Graham  had 
been  most  unselfishly  earnest. 

"  Send  her  to  me,"  he  said,  laughingly.  "  I  cannot  have 
my  authority  braved  in  this  fashion." 

She  came,  very  blight  and  defiant,  quite  prepared  to  do 
battle  for  her  idea.  Yet  it  was  not  so  much  this  that  he 
wished  to  talk  about.  He  listened  to  her  straightforward 
reasoning,  and  gave  his  quiet  smile  in  return,  admitting  that 
she  had  gained  her  point. 

She  was  a  little  ashamed  of  her  vehemence,  and  said,  in 
a  low,  earnest  tone,  — 

"Do  not  imagine  that  I  did  not  appreciate  the  great 
kindness.  It  was  giving  of  your  very  best." 

"  Will  you  take  something  from  me  in  its  stead,  as  if  I 
were  a  brother  ?  I  sometimes  feel  as  if  you  had  not  cor- 
dially forgiven  that  old  time  of  pain  and  suffering." 

"  O,  don't,"  she  cried.  "  You  shame  me.  I  was  angry 
and  unreasonable.  I  am  not  sweet  and  meek  by  nature,  as 
Jessie  is.  But  I  do  understand  how  little  any  of  you  were 
at  fault.  And  you  have  been  generous  indeed." 

"  Will  you  give  me  something  in  return  ?  " 

"  What  can  I  have  that  is  of  value  to  you  ?"  she  asked 
wonderingly. 

"Your  confidence,  my  dear  child." 

"  You  have  all  that  is  worth  the  taking.  I  never  could 
be  the  heroine  of  a  sensational  romance.  I  dislike  mys- 
teries and  morbidness." 

Her  tone  was  light,  yet  her  lips  unconsciously  compressed 
themselves  at  the  ending  of  her  sentence. 

"No,"  he  replied,  in  a  tone  of  quiet  assurance.     "There 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  247 

Is  something  that  you  keep  back,  even  from  God,  who  is 
so  ready  to  listen,  to  comfort." 

She  turned  deadly  pale  for  a  moment,  then  raised  her 
head  in  its  lofty,  wounded  pride. 

"  No  one  can  help  —  " 

"  You  are  wrong,  I  think.  While  I  despise  the  weak- 
ness  of  a  man  or  a  woman  who  continually  thrusts  the 
cross  upon  others  which  was  given  to  them  to  bear,  I  do 
feel  that  there  is  aid  promised.  Are  we  all  to  stand  apart, 
and  reach  and  grope  in  secret,  never  clasping  hands  out- 
wardly? Are  we  to  hunger  and  thirst  with  the  wells  of 
living  water  at  hand,  and  the  bread  which  came  down 
from  heaven  ?  " 

«  You  don't  know." 

"I  do  know  that  a  brave  soul  never  shows  a  gaping 
wound.  A  high,  heroic  woman  could  no  more  gossip  of 
her  keenest  griefs  than  she  could  count  over  her  lover's 
kisses  to  her  friends.  Both  would  be  alike  sacred.  But 
are  you  not  shutting  out  God  ?  Are  you  not  standing  in 
your  own  strength,  saying  that  must  be  sufficient  ?  And 
right  beside  you  is  the  tenderness,  the  other  long-suffering, 
the  voice  which  entreats,  '  Come  unto  me,  ye  weary.'  In 
the  pure  and  patient  over-living  of  a  great  sorrow,  our 
souls  are  restored  by  His  love.  From  the  darkness  and 
chaos,  the  hopeless  confusion  of  our  own  seeking,  His  finger 
points  out  the  way  of  peace." 

"  If  I  could  believe  !"  was  the  outburst  of  vehement  emo- 
tion. "  But  you  can  never  understand !  It  was  the  hope 
of  my  life.  It  helped  me  to  bear  losses,  and  privations,  and 
distasteful  things,  to  be  glad  and  happy  in  the  darkest 
times.  And  now  it  all  seems  such  a  dreary  waste.  To 
think  of  living  years  and  years  —  " 

The  voice  broke  there  with  its  pathetic  strain,  and  Madge 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  She  had  resolutely  shut 
out  the  others ;  they  were  growing  happier,  and  why  should 
she  burden  them  with  her  griei" 


248  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"  My  dear  girl,  is  not  the  mistake  just  here  ?  The  far-ofl 
years  will  take  care  of  themselves.  You  are  trying  to  bear 
adjust  now.  I  have  remarked,  sometimes,  that  when  God 
takes  away  a  great  hope  or  a  great  delight,  it  is  to  fit  us 
for  the  event  to  come  afterwards.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to 
learn  the  present  lesson.  He  shapes  the  rest,  adapting  His 
love  to  our  weakness,  coming  down  to  our  lowly  condition. 
Shall  we  refuse  the  comforts  He  places  in  our  way  ?  " 

"  You  think  I  have?"  she  said,  in  a  low  tone. 

"I  feel  afraid  that  you  intend  to.  You  are  strong, 
Madge,  and  you  could  stand  by  yourself;  but  that  is  not 
well  for  any  human  creature.  The  extreme  of  self-reliance 
begets  coldness  and  hardness,  though  it  is  often  so  gradual 
that  one  hardly  realizes  the  danger.  So  I  want  you  to 
still  share  our  love  and  sympathy,  to  make  it  a  part  of  your 
life.  Is  there  not  some  grace  in  taking  as  well  as  in  giving?" 

She  had  said  to  herself  that  no  one  had  anything  to  give 
her  in  this  life.  Was  she  quite  right  ?  Was  one  love  all? 
Perhaps  her  intense  passion  and  grief  were  rendering  her 
unconsciously  selfish,  not  in  refusing  to  give  or  to  do  for 
others,  but  in  accepting  for  herself. 

"You  are  most  kind  and  thoughtful,"  she  made  answer, 
putting  out  her  hand  with  her  face  still  averted. 

"  I  want  you  to  take  a  brother's  love  from  me,  to  feel 
that  any  plan  of  mine  is  made  with  the  highest  regard  and 
sympathy.  Open  your  soul  and  let  in  a  little  gladness,  re- 
membering that,  — 

'  Through  passionate  duty  love  flames  higher, 
As  grass  grows  taller  around  a  stone.'  " 

«*  I  will  try,"  she  said,  softly.  "  But  I  am  afraid  some* 
times  that  we  take  too  much  of  what  should  be  yours." 

"Your  family  relations  are  so  delightful  to  me!  It  is 
because  I  have  found  a  home  in  the  highest  sense  of  the 
word  that  I  am  suspicious  of  the  first  break.  You  can 
hardly  tell  what  such  an  example  is  worth  to  the  world." 


THE  CROWN   OP  DUTY.  249 

"  But  our  world  is  so  very  small ! " 

"  It  has  been  a  light  set  on  a  hill  to  me,  and  you  know 
not  what  it  may  prove  to  others." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  approved  of  Madge's  decision.  Mr 
Graham  comforted  Jessie  by  the  promise  of  some  later 
pleasure  shared  together.  They  were  very  busy  planning 
and  working,  though  now  and  then  they  gave  a  thought  to 
the  future  without  Jessie.  How  much  they  would  miss 
her! 

Then  an  unexpected  summons  came  for  her.  Another 
soul  longed  to  sun  itself,  briefly,  in  the  abundant  tender- 
ness. 

This  was  through  their  old  friend,  Hetty  Bright.  Rachel 
Dormer  had  gone  on  failing  gradually,  and  now  lay  at  the 
point  of  death.  She  desired  most  of  all  that  Jessie  should 
come  and  spend  a  week  with  her,  if  God  so  willed  that  she 
should  linger  thus  long. 

"You  might  go  for  a  day  or  two,"  said  Eleanor,  "but  a 
week  —  and  just  now!  It  is  out  of  the  question." 

"She  was  very  feeble  the  last  time  I  saw  her.  Mamma  —  " 

Jessie  raised  her  eyes  entreatingly  for  some  help  in  her 
decision. 

"  I  think  you  ought  to  go,  and  yet  every  day  seems 
precious." 

"  We  might  wait  a  little  longer.  There  has  been  no  day 
appointed,"  said  Jessie,  with  a  delicate  flush. 

"  Jessie,  you  almost  provoke  me  sometimes.  Like  Madge, 
I  shall  begin  to  espouse  Mr.  Graham's  cause  as  that  of  a 
rather  ill-used  person." 

But  to  Eleanor's  astonishment,  Mr.  Graham  consented 
for  the  whole  week.  She  did  not  hear  the  tremulous  little 
pathos  in  Jessie's  voice  with  which  she  had  uttered,  "  It 
will  be  so  much  to  her,  and  we  shall  have  all  our  long  lives 
afterwards." 

He  could  not  have  refused  her  such  a  request.  So  one 
afternoon  he  took  her  and  Eleanor  up  to  Riverside,  and 


250  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

Jessie  was  left  with  her  friend.  Every  day  they  heard  from 
her,  and  Mr.  Graham  made  several  pilgrimages.  The  week 
lengthened  itself  into  ten  days,  and  when  they  met  for  the 
funeral  a  fortnight  had  elapsed.  Mrs.  Ashburton  and  El- 
eanor went  up,  and  in  spite  of  Miss  Hetty's  remonstrances, 
brought  Jessie,  who  was  looking  rather  worn,  home  with 
them. 

"  But  I  shall  always  be  glad  that  I  went,"  Jessie  said,  as 
she  lay  on  the  sofa  that  evening,  for  once  resigning  herself 
to  all  manner  of  tender  petting.  "  She  was  so  thankful  to 
have  me,  and  there  were  many  comforting  hours  that  I 
shall  never  forget.  It  was,  indeed,  the  death  of  a  saint. 
Mr.  Graham  liked  her  so  much,  too,  and  she  was  pleased  at 
meeting  him.  O,  mamma  !  what  indescribable  comfort 
there  is  in  a  pure,  well-spent  life,  and  the  trustful  belief  of 
going  home  at  last  to  rest  in  the  strength  of  Him  who  is 
all  love,  who  has  a  tender  welcome  for  each  of  His  chil- 
dren 1 " 

u  And  now  you  will  turn  gloomy,  Jessie,"  said  Madge, 
half  regretfully.  "  We  were  none  too  brilliant  before." 

u  No,  not  gloomy.  I  think  sometimes  even  a  joy  may 
be  rendered  sweeter  by  the  sanctifying  influences  of  sor- 
row. I  feel  more  than  ever  the  sacredness  of  the  new 
life  I  am  about  to  enter  upon.  Somehow  Mrs.  Rachel  al- 
ways had  a  way  of  smoothing  the  tangles  out  of  one's 
path." 

"  Were  there  any  in  yours  ? "  asked  her  mother,  softly, 
taking  the  little  hand. 

"Not  exactly;"  with  a  faint  smile.  "  Only  sometimes  I 
have  wondered  if  it  was  quite  right  to  go  to  such  great 
happiness  and  ease,  while  you  would  all  be  left  here  —  " 

"Jessie  to  the  farthest  verge,"  interrupted  Madge. 
**  Little  sister,  there  is  something  besides  the  command  of 
bearing  one  another's  burdens." 

"  I  know  it; "  and  a  bright  smile  made  the  fair  face  radiant. 
u  Some  day  I  may  go  too  far  to  the  other  side  in  happy 
selfishness." 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  251 

"  No,  indeed,"  returned  Philip,  warmly.  "  It  seems  to 
me  that  if  any  one  ever  deserved  happiness,  you  do,  Jessie* 
and  I  am  glad  the  best  and  purest  of  all  has  come  to  you.' 

Eleanor  brushed  away  a  stray  tear.  How  different  this 
engagement  had  been  from  hers!  She  hai  persuaded 
herself  in  those  days  that  she  was  marrying  as  much  for 
her  family's  good  as  her  own.  But  would  she  have  given 
np  the  bright  prospect  to  share  poverty  and  toil  with  them  ? 
Yet  Jessie  would  scarcely  have  hesitated,  had  there  been 
a  plain  question  of  duty. 

Not  from  any  lack  of  pure  affection,  either.  Understand- 
ing love  in  its  highest  sense  now,  she  felt  that  both  Jessie 
and  Mr.  Graham  had  found  the  golden  mean  —  a  regard 
tempered  by  the  grace  swaying  their  natures  so  thoroughly 
that  it  would  make  the  flame  burn  brighter  as  the  years 
went  on  with  their  chances  and  changes. 

"  O  ! "  Jessie  said,  presently,  "  did  I  mention  that  Miss 
Hetty  is  likely  to  be  quite  an  heiress  ?  You  remember  the 
copper  speculation  that  she  used  to  bewail  ?  It  seems  a 
new  company  has  taken  it  in  charge,  and  they  are  paying 
dividends  already.  She  told  me  one  day,  regretting  that  it 
had  not  happened  long  before,  for  Mrs.  Rachel's  sake  ;  but 
she  said  so  sweetly,  "All  the  money  in  the  world  could 
have  given  me  no  better  care  than  you  have  taken  of  me." 

"  Why,  everybody  seems  to  be  coming  into  a  fortune," 
said  Madge,  gayly. 

Two  or  three  days  later  they  received  a  note  from  Miss 
Hetty,  summoning  Mrs.  Ashburton,  Jessie,  and  Mr.  Graham 
on  Borne  particular  business. 

u  What  can  it  be  ?"  marvelled  Madge,  all  curiosity. 

School  had  ended,  and  though  she  used  to  bustle  briskly 
about  the  house,  now  and  then,  for  a  brief  while,  she  soon 
dropped  into  the  old  languor.  Every  day  she  seemed  to 
grow  more  phantom-like,  though  she  insisted  her  state  of 
indolence  was  chronic  with  school  teachers. 

There  was  no  solving  the  puzzle  until  the  trio  returned 


252  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Mr.   Grahams   face  was  unusually  bright  and  foil  of 
amusement. 

"  O,  it  was  some  quirk  of  Miss  Hetty's,"  declared  Madge 
"  Actually  you  are  all  smiling  over  it." 

**  What  will  you  give  for  the  news  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Graham. 

"  Half  of  my  fortune." 

ult  is  not  to  be  compared  with  Jessie's." 

"  I  suppose  not,"  coloring  warmly. 

"You  would  hardly  suspect  Jessie  of  being  an  heiress, 
I  fancy ;  but  it  is  even  so." 

"  How  mysterious  you  are !    Mamma,  what  is  it  ?  " 

Mr.  Graham  laughed,  gayly. 

"  *  A  true  fact,'  as  we  used  to  say  when  we  were  little," 
began  Jessie.  "  I  have  had  a  legacy  left  to  me." 

"  Silver  spoons  or  bed -quilts  ?" 

"  It  is  Mrs.  Dormer's  share  of  the  copper  mine,"  explained 
Mrs.  Ashburton. 

u  O,  you  said  it  had  improved  in  value,  Jessie ! " 

Madge  was  all  eager  excitement. 

"It  seems  they  were  offered  twelve  thousand  apiece  for 
their  shares,  some  three  months  ago,"  said  Mr.  Graham. 
"  Probably  they  are  worth  nearer  fifteen." 

"  O  Jessie,  Jessie ! " 

Madge  cried  and  laughed  in  a  breath. 

Mr.  Graham  staid  to  supper,  and  they  had  a  really  de- 
lightful time  over  Jessie's  fortune.  It  was  too  good  to  be 
true,  they  all  thought. 

"  I  shall  make  some  inquiries  to-morrow,"  said  Mr. 
Graham.  "But  the  matter  that  concerns  me  most  is 
whether  Jessie  will  not  feel  tempted  to  set  up  for  an  inde- 
pendent woman ! " 

Jessie  looked  very  meek  and  sweet,  and  not  much  like 
rebelling  at  any  decree.  But,  O,  the  depth  of  gladness 
in  her  heart ! 

Mr.  Graham  teased  her  a  little  when  they  were  alone, 
but  a  sudden  gravity  overspread  her  countenance. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  253 

"My  little  darling,"  he  said,  "did  my  jesting  sadden 
yo-i?" 

"  O,  it  was  not  that.  I  have  had  a  strange,  sweet  thought 
in  my  heart  all  the  evening.  While  I  was  at  Riverside,  I 
heard  that  Mr.  Browning's  father  and  insane  sister  were 
both  dead.  It  is  possible  that  they  might  be  induced  to 
part  with  Home  Nook." 

"  Well  ?  "  though  he  knew  what  brought  the  radiance  to 
the  soft  eyes. 

"  If  this  fortune  could  help  to  buy  it  back ! " 

"  I  will  endeavor  to  learn  the  particulars  of  the  case,"  he 
returned,  gravely. 

She  studied  his  face  for  several  moments. 

M  You  would  not  object  ?  "  she  questioned,  timidly. 

"Object!  when  the  fortune  is  yours,  too?  My  little 
girl,  you  hardly  understand  me  yet,  if  you  think  that.  One 
of  my  happiest  dreams  has  been  to  give  you  everything 
out  of  my  abundance,  to  make  your  shady  life  blossom  as 
in  the  happy  days  of  which  I  sometimes  hear  you  talk. 
You  see  I  never  expected  to  marry  an  heiress." 

Jessie  smiled  tenderly.  He  would  never  censure  any 
use  she  might  make  of  the  legacy. 

Eleanor  and  Madge  still  sat  in  solemn  consultation  over 
the  matter  when  she  ran  up  stairs.  The  tired  look  had 
vanished  from  her  sweet  face. 

"  Is  it  really  true?  "  asked  Madge.  "  Will  not  some  one 
contest  the  will,  or  the  copper  mine  fail  again?  And  who 
would  think  of  Mrs.  Dormer  leaving  a  fortune  to  any  one  ?  " 

"I  shall  always  be  so  thankful  that  I  went!  The  will 
was  made  nearly  three  months  before,  and  with  the  full 
consent  of  Miss  Hetty.  If  I  had  refused,  it  would  have 
appeared  most  ungrateful." 

"Your  sins  will  always  be  on  the  duty  side,"  said  Madge, 
laughingly. 

'Jessie  has  learned  the  hardest  and  grandest  definition 
of  true  charity,"  responded  Eleanor — '"seeketh  not  hei 


254  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

own.'  My  darling,  we  can  never  tell  you  how  much  we 
rejoice  in  your  good  fortune." 

And  then  she  recurred  to  her  past,  aunt  Waltham  pro- 
fessing  so  much  love  for  her,  and  yet  ready  to  bargain  her 
off  at  the  first  convenient  opportunity.  How  she  would 
have  sneered  had  any  one  predicted  so  brilliant  a  future 
for  Jessie !  Yet  one  of  the  "  old  women  "  she  always  rid- 
iculed had  been  nobly  generous  to  Jessie,  and  even  in  her 
poverty  she  had  attracted  a  prince  among  men.  No,  aunt 
Waltham's  creed  and  philosophy  never  could  attain  to  any 
such  heights.  It  was  narrow,  selfish  —  of  the  earth,  earthy. 
Well  for  her  that  she  had  been  saved  "  as  by  fire." 

There  was  a  household  of  thankful  hearts  that  night 
For,  after  all,  poverty  and  care  are  not  such  unmixed  bless- 
ings that  one  need  desire  their  continuance.  True,  wealth 
baa  its  evila  and  temptations ;  but  is  poverty  exempt  ? 


THB  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  256 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THROUGH  PLEASANT  WATS. 

JESSIE  ASHBUKTON  offered  her  project  for  discussion 
the  next  day.  If  the  shares  she  held  could  be  sold  at  an 
advantage,  and  Home  Nook  repurchased,  her  wildest  dream 
would  be  more  than  realized. 

Mr.  Ashburton  listened  in  silence,  too.  deeply  touched 
for  any  word. 

"Only  on  this  condition,"  said  Philip,  —  "that  when 
Clement  returns  you  shall  be  quite  willing  to  receive  back 
principal  and  interest.  It  must  be  a  loan  merely." 

"I  am  not  particular  about  conditions;"  and  Jessie 
smiled.  "My  greatest  desire  is  to  have  our  exile  at  an 
end." 

They  knew  then  how  near  to  her  heart  it  bad  been, 
though  few  words  of  longing  had  passed  her  lips.  She 
had  made  this  small  abode  a  place  of  happiness,  with  her 
cheeiiul  faith,  her  steady,  sunny  endurance ;  been  braver 
than  any  of  them  knew.  Ah,  how  Eleanor  had  misjudged 
her  in  the  beginning ! 

Mr.  Graham  found  that  he  could  realize  about  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  on  Jessie's  stock.  She  was  in  earnest  to 
have  it  sold  at  once.  For  the  next  week  he  failed  to  see 
Mr.  Browning,  ci\  account  of  that  gentleman's  absence 
from  the  city. 

He  came  in  one  evening  graver  than  usual.  No  one 
appeared  to  remark  it  save  Jessie,  and  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity she  inquired  the  cause. 

"  My  little  darling,"  he  said,  "  you  have  borne  so  much 
heroically  that  it  seems  wrong  to  add  another  shadow, 


256  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

when  we  hoped  for  brightness.  But  it  is  something  that 
you  will  have  to  know  ere  long." 

"  No  misfortune  has  befallen  you  ?  "  and  her  heart  beat 
with  quick  apprehension. 

"No,  and  yes.  It  is  a  greater  trial  to  me  than  you 
might  imagine  at  first.  Think  of  the  keenest  disappoint- 
ment next  to  any  pain  of  mine,  for  I  fancy  that  I  am 
dearer  to  you  than  houses  or  lands." 

"  O,  Home  Nook !  —  Mr.  Browning  does  not  wish  to 
leave  it,"  Jessie  said,  quickly. 

"On  the  contrary,  he  is  going  abroad.  His  wife  has 
been  very  much  worn  by  the  burdens  of  these  later  years. 
But  Home  Nook  has  been  sold  already." 

"  Sold !  And  he  promised  to  give  us  the  first  oppor- 
tunity of  repurchasing  it.  O,  how  could  he ! "  and  her 
soft  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"There  is  some  mystery  about  it  which  I  do  not  quite 
understand.  It  is  possible  that  he  had  offered  it  to 
some  other  person,  thinking  you  would  not  be  able  to  buy 
it  back.  He  merely  left  this  message  for  me  ;  but  after  a 
perplexing  search,  I  found  him,  and  he  was  most  uncom- 
municative. All  he  said  might  be  summed  up  in  thi^ 
that  he  thought  he  had  acted  for  the  best." 

"But  who  bought  it?" 

"That  was  what  I  could  not  learn." 

"It  is  some  one  who  wishes  to  keep  it.  O,  if  they  only 
knew !  It  is  so  hard  to  reach  the  summit  of  one's  desires 
a  moment  too  late !  No  one  can  ever  love  it  as  we  did." 

"  And  now,  my  darling,  I  will  tell  you  that  I  sounded 
Mr.  Browning  on  this  matter  almost  a  month  ago.  I 
meant  that  Home  Nook  should  be  your  bridal  gift  from 
me.  He  said  nothing  of  another  purchaser  then,  but  he 
seems  to  have  purposely  avoided  me  since.  So  my  disap- 
pointment is  exceedingly  bitter,  as  well." 

She  was  sobbing  softly,  touched  and  melted  by  hu 
tender  thought,  as  well  as  her  own  sorrow. 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  25? 

u  Yes,  I  wanted  it  to  be  yours.  Since  it  would  be  neces- 
sary for  us  to  have  a  new  home,  under  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances of  the  coming  year,  I  thought  it  might  still  be 
pleasant  for  you  all  to  keep  together;  and  as  your  heart 
was  there  —  " 

"How  good  you  were!     O,  if  it  could  have  been !" 

"  And  your  sorrow  is  mine,  though  I  did  not  dream  of 
having  my  marriage  shadowed  in  this  fashion." 

"  It  shall  not  be;"  and  she  looked  up  bravely,  the  tears 
still  shining  in  her  eyes.  "  I  will  not  forget  that  my  first 
duty  must  always  be  to  you." 

"  And  your  pleasure  ?  " 

"  And  my  pleasure." 

He  bent  over  and  kissed  her  tenderly. 

There  was  much  regret  in  the  household,  and  a  disposi- 
tion to  blame  Mr.  Browning  for  his  rather  unfriendly  deal- 
ing. The  sense  of  loss  came  home  to  each  one  keenly  — 
the  more  so  because  they  had  so  nearly  attained  their 
fondest  desire. 

"  It  was  too  good  and  delightful  to  be  true,"  said 
Madge.  "  We  must  be  exiles  for  the  rest  of  our  lives. 
And  do  you  know  that  '  about  the  first  of  August '  ia 
nearly  here  ?  " 

Jessie  blushed. 

"  I  really  believe,  mamma,  that  she  doesn't  care  a  bit 
about  being  married,  and  Mr.  Graham  as  splendid  as  a 
prince  royal." 

But  the  wonder  and  the  mystery  reached  a  speedy  solu- 
tion. A  few  days  after,  while  they  were  still  in  a  chaos 
of  regret,  a  large  official-looking  document  came  for  Mr. 
Ashburton. 

"  Another  fortune,"  laughingly  declared  Madge. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  opened  it,  and  ran  her  eyes  over  both 
print  and  writing  without  taking  in  the  slightest  meaning. 

"  Why,  it  is  a  deed,"  exclaimed  Eleanor, —  "  a  deed  for 
Home  Nook;  a  gift  to  papa  from  —  Rose  Stanhope." 
17 


258  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

They  all  glanced  at  each  other  in  amazement.  A  deed 
of  conveyance,  sure  enough ;  but  if  it  had  come  from  an 
enemy  it  could  hardly  have  been  less  welcome.  If  possi- 
ble, matters  were  more  complicated  than  before. 

And  now  there  were  endless  discussions  again.  Mr. 
Graham's  first  effort  was  to  find  Miss  Stanhope,  but  she 
had  left  the  city  on  the  very  day  of  signing  the  deed. 
That  she  had  gone  abroad  again  her  lawyer  admitted ;  but 
he  had  received  strict  injunctions  to  preserve  her  address 
a  secret.  Mr.  Browning  could  throw  no  further  light  upon 
the  matter. 

Miss  Stanhope  had,  indeed,  made  a  slight  explanation  to 
him,  representing  it  as  an  actual  acknowledgment  due  the 
Ashburtons.  When  he  found  that  it  was  to  come  into 
their  possession,  he  felt  that  Mr.  Graham's  wishes  would 
be  complied  with. 

**  And  I  really  could  not  resist  her  entreaty,"  he  con- 
fessed, in  apology.  "  She  declared  that  it  was  the  one 
great  pleasure  and  duty  of  her  life.  Are  you  quite  sure 
that  you  understand  all  her  reasons  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Philip.  "  It  is  a  morbid  fancy  that  has 
seized  her  brain.  If  she  could  have  seen  the  result ! " 

"  What  a  perplexing  affair  ! "  Madge  exclaimed.  "  If 
she  can  never  be  found,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  " 

It  was  a  serious  question.  Mr.  Browning  had  made  his 
arrangements  to  leave  on  the  tenth  of  the  month.  Most 
of  the  furniture  had  been  repurchased  with  the  house, 
and  to  shut  it  up  tenantless  appeared  an  absolute  sin. 

"I  wonder  if  we  may  not  be  carrying  our  pride  too 
far,"  said  Eleanor,  thoughtfully.  "I  do  believe  Miss 
Stanhope  ife  firmly  convinced  of  some  wrong,  and  desirea 
to  make  reparation." 

"  But  I  never  could  have  been  wronged  to  that  amount," 
replied  Mr.  Ashburton.  "At  the  utmost  limit  it  could 
not  have  exceeded  ten  or  twelve  thousand  dollars." 

a  And  Home  Nook  has  cost  twenty  thousand." 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  25S 

"  It  was  a  foolish,  girlish  act,  and  I  am  afraid  that  she 
h:.s  impoverished  herself.  It  leaves  us  under  a  heavy 
obligation  to  her." 

"  Which  we  cannot  accept,"  said  Madge,  decisively. 

It  was  most  true.  To  go  to  Home  Nook  on  such 
terms  was  like  living  under  false  pretences.  They  had  no 
claim  upon  Miss  Stanhope's  generosity,  and  this  was  much 
too  extravagant  to  be  justice. 

Mr.  Graham's  clear  head  solved  the  problem  at  length. 

"  Mr.  Thurston,  Miss  Stanhope's  lawyer,  will  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  it,"  he  said ;  "  but  this  sum  might  be  held 
in  trust  for  Miss  Stanhope  or  her  heirs.  That  will  clear 
our  consciences." 

After  much  discussion  this  was  decided  upon.  Philip 
wrote  to  Clement  at  once.  Mr.  Graham  insisted  upon 
making  up  the  sum  for  the  present.  Jessie  was  brim  full 
of  happiness  again. 

Then  they  began  to  look  the  future  in  the  face.  The 
incidents  had  come  with  such  rapidity  during  the  past 
year  that  before  they  had  grown  familiar  with  one,  an- 
other claimed  their  attention.  And  this  would  bring 
about  a  decided  change. 

That  they  were  to  go  back  to  Home  Nook  seemed  the 
dearest  joy  of  all.  And  yet  there  was  a  secret  pang  in 
two  hearts;  at  least,  Madge  and  Eleanor  dreaded  old 
associations  a  little,  but  neither  would  have  marred  Jessie's 
perfect  content  by  breathing  the  faintest  word. 

For  Eleanor  had  a  remnant  of  her  olden  pride.  In  her 
girlhood  days  she  had  rather  plumed  herself  upon  her 
refinement  and  exclusiveness.  Her  acquaintance  had 
been  considered  an  honor  by  people  in  her  own  social 
standing,  Now  an  adverse  fate  compelled  her  in  some 
degree  to  be  dependent  upon  her  own  exertions.  In  this 
matter  she  was  succeeding  beyond  her  expectations.  It 
would  be  much  pleasanter  to  keep  the  tender  household 
shelter  for  herself  and  little  Greta  than  to  seek  a  home 


260  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

among  strangers ;  but  she  knew  too  well  the  distinction 
the  world  made  between  the  luxury  of  indolence  and 
compulsory  toil. 

"  But  it  is  unworthy  of  any  true  woman  to  shrink  back 
weakly  now,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  Since  they  took  me 
in  destitute  and  friendless,  shall  I  not  do  all  in  my  power 
to  repay  them,  without  thinking  of  the  world's  foolish 
blame  or  approval?" 

Madge  had  quite  another  cause  for  dread.  Not  that 
she  was  hardly  likely  to  meet  the  Endicotts  in  any  other 
than  a  casual  way ;  but,  O,  there  lay  betwesn  such  bitter 
pangs !  Could  she  glance  at  that  bright,  faithless  counte- 
nance whose  smiles  had  once  been  so  much  to  her,  and 
keep  the  shrinking  nerves  still  tense  and  untrembling? 

Mr.  Ashburton  would  be  under  the  doctor's  care  for  two 
months,  at  least.  He  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  were  to  board 
at  Dr.  Conway's  for  the  time.  Mr.  Graham  proposed  that 
Madge  and  Eleanor  should  take  charge  of  the  house,  as 
by  that  means  Jessie  would  have  the  more  freedom. 

"It  seems  so  strange  not  to  think  of  going  back  to 
school ! "  said  Madge.  "  I  do  believe  I  shall  feel  lost  with- 
out those  perplexing  children.  I  dare  say  I  shall  take 
Greta  in  hand,  and  make  her  wise  beyond  her  years." 

Eleanor  smiled. 

They  went  up  to  Home  Nook  one  afternoon,  Philip 
and  Mr.  Graham  accompanying  them.  If  it  had  changed, 
it  was  only  to  grow  more  beautiful.  The  evergreens 
made  miniature  forests,  the  old  honeysuckles  were  thickets 
of  foliage,  and  the  shrubbery  had  hardly  been  altered. 
Beds  of  flowers  in  their  late  summer  bloom,  shady  walks, 
clustering  vines,  haunts  endeared  to  them  by  a  thousand 
fond  recollections.  Could  it  be  possible  that  they  were  to 
return  ? 

There  were  all  the  old  familiar  nooks ;  but  they  had 
been  despoiled  of  pictures  and  the  small,  graceful  article! 
that  add  a  home-like  charm. 


THE  tJKOWN   OF  DUTY.  261 

Madge  ran  from  room  to  room,  from  window  to  window 
with  the  gladness  of  a  child.  The  years  of  toil  and  priva- 
tion, and  that  still  keener  pang,  were  forgotten  for  the 
moment,  as  she  realized  the  exquisite  pleasure  of  home- 
feeling  once  more. 

"  It  is  a  very  lovely  nest,"  said  Mr.  Graham.  "  I  do  not 
wonder  at  your  fondness  for  it.  But  can  you  ever  be 
content  to  call  another  place  home  ? " 

Jessie  answered  by  slipping  her  hand  within  his.  And 
yet  how  strange  it  would  be  to  have  a  new  interest  —  to 
go  away  from  them  all,  perhaps ! 

Their  arrangements  were  perfected  after  several  days' 
consideration.  Jessie  was  not  to  be  married  until  the 
first  of  September.  Mr.  arid  Mrs.  Ashburton  Were  to  go 
away  at  the  same  time,  and  the  three  others  were  to 
superintend  the  removal. 

The  wedding  was  a  very  quiet  one,  in  church.  Miss 
Hetty  was  the  only  invited  guest  on  Jessie's  side,  and  Mr. 
Graham  had  asked  merely  his  immediate  family.  They 
all  felt  more  grave  than  joyful,  but  there  was  no  tender 
regard  lacking. 

Mr.  Graham  was  the  only  child  by  an  earlier  marriage  of 
his  father,  though  he  had  always  fraternized  very  cordially 
with  the  second  family,  a  host  of  younger  brothers  and 
sisters.  Mrs.  Graham  gave  Jessie  a  warm  and  motherly 
welcome. 

"I  was  much  pleased  with  her,"  she  said  afterwards  to  a 
friend.  "  Ward  has  such  peculiar  notions  about  women 
that  I  should  not  have  been  astonished  to  see  him  marry 
the  most  eccentric  one  he  could  find.  But  his  wife  is  a 
very  sweet,  pretty  girl,  and  quite  an  heiress." 

Mr.  Ashburton  kissed  his  darling  fondly.  Would  he 
ever  be  able  to  see  the  dear  face  again  ?  He  was  becom- 
ing strangely  impatient  to  know  his  fate,  although  Dr. 
Otis  had  assured  him  that  there  could  be  scarcely  a  doubt 

They  bade  Jessie  farewell  at  the  railroad  depot.     Sh« 


262  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

did  look  lovely  in  her  soft  silk  —  as  nun-like  as  she  desired 
—  and  all  her  small  belongings  chosen  with  the  most  ex- 
quisite taste. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ash  burton  went  at  once  to  Dr.  Conway's, 
who  had  decided  to  take  them  in  for  old  friendship's  sake. 
Philip  came  home  with  Madge  and  Eleanor,  Miss  Hetty 
accompanying  them,  as  she  had  insisted  upon  "  lending  a 
hand." 

"  We  may  as  well  begin  at  once,"  declared  Madge,  "or 
we  shall  sit  down  and  cry  over  our  household  ruins.  If  it 
was  any  one  but  Jessie,  I  should  have  some  misgiving 
about  her  happiness." 

"There's  nothing  like  work  when  one  is  a  bit  down- 
hearted," said  Miss  Hetty.  "  And  the  quicker  you  get  up 
to  Home  Nook  the  better.  I  shall  not  have  a  moment  of 
satisfaction  until  you  are  there.  It  was  a  great  comfort 
to  my  poor  sister,  thinking  you  would  come  back." 

"  Which  I  am  glad  to  do  for  her  dear  sake  as  well  as 
cur  own,"  returned  Madge.  "  You  would  hardly  believe 
that  I  had  lost  all  hope  of  its  ever  being  accomplished." 

"  I  knew  it  must  come  to  pass  some  way.  There's 
never  been  a  night  but  I've  prayed  for  it ;  and  when  the 
good  news  came,  poor  Rachel  sat  and  thought  it  over  in 
amazement,  and,  finally,  says  she,  '  I  shall  never  want  the 
money,  Hetty,  and  if  you're  willing,  I  shall  leave  it  to  Miss 
Jessie.  Maybe  it  will  help  her  to  buy  back  Home  Nook.' 
But  she  never  dreamed  then  that  Miss  Jessie's  wedding- 
day  was  so  nigh  at  hand." 

They  laid  aside  their  festive  attire  and  went  to  work  at 
once.  The  woman  who  usually  did  their  washing  had 
been  called  in  for  several  days,  and  was  there  to  assist. 
By  night  most  of  the  furniture  and  books  were  packed, 
ready  for  a  start  the  next  morning. 

Miss  Hetty  kept  them  in  good  spirits  by  her  brisk  ways 
and  homely  bits  of  philosophy.  It  was  well  to  have  her 
there.  Eleanor  was  not  tempted  to  smile  at  her  shrewd 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  263 

wisdom  and  old-fashioned  ways,  for  she  was  able  now  to 
understand  the  true  worth  of  such  a  hearty,  generous  soul. 

Madge  shed  a  few  tears  as  the  familiar  objects  were 
gathered  from  nooks  and  corners.  After  all,  they  had 
been  happy  here.  Jessie's  roses  were  still  in  bloom,  and 
there  was  her  father's  rustic  chair  in  the  grape  arbor. 
Philip  and  Jessie  had  made  it.  Poor  Philip !  out  of  his 
trials  had  come  joy  and  good  fortune ;  out  of  Jessie's 
patient  work  and  waiting,  happiness.  But  what  was  the 
lesson  for  her?  Life  was  never  without  its  duties,  of 
course,  but  what  special  grace  was  to  be  evolved  from  her 
trial  ?  Would  it  be  easier  to  bear  in  the  old  home  ? 

She  seldom  looked  it  in  the  face.  It  seemed  braver  to 
her  to  thrust  it  out  of  sight.  A  little  girlish  shame  at 
having  been  so  easily  won,  and  a  woman's  sensitive  pride 
at  being  as  easily  forgotten.  But  to  her  it  had  been  more 
than  a  childish  regard. 

By  noon  the  little  cottage  was  dismantled,  and  shortly 
after  they  were  on  their  way  to  Riverside. 

"But  it  doesn't  seem  quite  right  to  have  so  few  of  us," 
said  Madge.  "Who  would  fancy  we  should  miss  quiet 
Jessie  so  much  ?  " 

And  crossing  the  threshold  of  dear  old  Home  Nook 
once  more  as  possessors  indeed,  they  remembered  the  sad 
procession  of  more  than  five  years  ago.  With  what  varied 
feelings  they  had  walked  down  the  shaded  avenue  that 
spring  morning !  Was  their  exile  really  at  an  end  ? 

One  of  Mrs.  Browning's  servants  had  remained  in  charge 
—  a  quiet,  tidy  woman,  who  soon  rendered  herself  useful 
to  the  new  comers.  Baby  Margaret  was  full  of  childish 
prattle  and  wonderment,  running  from  window  to  window, 
in  the  vain  hope  of  seeing  grandpa. 

It  took  them  some  time  to  settle  matters  to  their  liking. 
The  carpets  and  furniture  were  pretty  well  worn ;  indeed, 
many  things  needed  replacing. 

u  If  we  could  just  bundle  these  old  articles  out  and  have 


264  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

new  ones,"  said  Philip.  "  Everything  ought  to  be  bright 
and  fresh." 

"  But  we  cannot.  We  are  still  poor,  and  must  make  the 
best  of  our  poverty,"  replied  Eleanor. 

"  It  would  be  so  delightful  —  for  Jessie's  sake,"  said 
Madge,  with  a  sigh.  "  But  Mr.  Graham  is  noble  enough 
to  understand  it ;  so  there  is  no  use  of  being  ashamed.  We 
will  do  our  very  best." 

Miss  Hetty  came  over  the  next  day,  and  Madge  re- 
counted the  perplexities. 

"Let  us  take  a  fair  and  square  look,"  said  the  little 
woman,  in  her  brisk,  energetic  fashion  ;  and  they  started 
through  the  house. 

"If  this  carpet  was  ripped  apart  and  turned  round  — 
there,  you  see  how  bright  it  would  be  in  the  middle  I 
And  why  don't  you  turn  this  great  parlor  into  a  general 
sitting-room  ?  You'll  like  it  as  well  again ;  and  then  no 
one  will  expect  the  shine  of  new  satin  and  velvet.  The 
furniture  might  be  oiled  and  rubbed,  and  the  dust  beaten 
out  of  the  covers.  And  when  the  pretty  articles  from  the 
other  house  come  to  be  unpacked,  why,  you  will  hardly 
know  the  place  ! " 

When  they  started,  Madge  found  that  matters  settled 
themselves,  with  a  little  overlooking.  They  turned,  and 
altered,  and  freshened  up,  taking  heart  with  each  article, 
that  seemed  to  slip  into  the  position  best  suited  for  it. 

"Jessie  must  have  the  two  spare  rooms,"  said  Eleanor. 
"  We  shall  hardly  need  them  for  guests." 

"And  we  will  take  our  old  ones  back  again.  I  am 
glad  mine  opens  into  yours,  Nelly,  for  now  I  shall  bo 
alone." 

Philip  came  home  every  evening,  and  commented  on 
what  they  had  done  through  the  day.  Miss  Hetty  ran 
over  to  see  them  frequently. 

Tidings  came  from  their  parents,  and  from  Jessie,  who 
was  well  and  happy. 


TEDS  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  265 

The  news  was  not  long  in  being  circulated  about  River- 
side.  Mrs.  Dormer's  will  had  soon  become  public  prop- 
erty, then  Jessie's  marriage  surprised  everybody,  and  now 
the  return  completed  the  astonishment.  Bygone  friends 
dropped  in  —  some  from  curiosity,  perhaps,  but  many 
with  words  of  sincerest  welcome. 

It  was  stormy  on  Sunday,  and  Greta  not  being  very 
well,  neither  of  the  girls  went  out.  But  Philip  brought  a 
report  at  noon. 

"  You  notice  the  changes  most  of  all  in  church,"  he  said. 
u  Yet  Mr.  Kenneth's  place  seems  to  be  well  supplied,  and 
there  is  no  lack  among  the  audience.  But,  O,  the  strange 
faces !  I  can  hardly  imagine  myself  at  Riverside." 

"But  you  are  not  sorry?"  Madge  asked,  just  under  her 
breath. 

"Sorry!  What  put  such  an  idea  into  your  head,  little 
sister?  I  enjoyed  it  all  so  much,  kneeling  in  the  old 
place,  and  remembering  our  childish  wishes  and  vague 
aspirations,  until  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  Jacob  at 
Bethel.  If  we  ever  made  any  vows,  how  scrupulously 
they  ought  to  be  fulfilled !  for  God  has  brought  us  back 
in  safety." 

Mr.  Maurice,  the  clergyman,  called  the  ensuing  week, 
and  they  found  him  a  Christian  gentleman.  He  had  met 
Jessie  at  Miss  Hetty's,  and  heard  part  of  their  story;  so  he 
hardly  appeared  like  a  stranger. 

When  they  came  to  regular  living,  Madge  was  installed 
as  housekeeper,  as  Eleanor's  duties  called  her  away  three 
or  four  days  in  the  week.  But  they  could  hardly  consider 
themselves  really  settled  until  they  had  all  the  household 
back  again. 

It  was  a  month  before  Jessie  returned,  taking  them 
quite  by  surprise  one  evening.  How  pretty  she  had 
grown,  and  how  happy  she  looked  !  It  seemed  as  if  Mr. 
Graham's  smile  was  less  grave,  and  the  tender  inflections 
of  his  voice  touched  Madge  with  a  peculiar  nearness  to 
tears. 


266  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  O,"  exclaimed  Jessie,  "  how  lovely  it  all  it !  It  gives 
one  such  a  sense  of  home  to  walk  np  the  avenue  under  the 
familiar  trees,  and  have  the  doors  open  to  you  vistas  of 
remembered  pleasure !  You  and  Nelly  have  made  a  bower 
of  this  library." 

"  It  was  Nelly's  taste  —  " 

"  And  Madge's  labor,"  said  Eleanor. 

Madge  had  worked  indeed.  The  two  large  bronze  lawn 
vases  had  been  brought  in,  still  rich  with  summer  bloom 
and  beauty,  and  stood  at  either  side  of  the  large  bay- 
window,  the  English  and  German  ivy  trailing  overhead  in 
its  shadowy  greenness.  Some  rustic  baskets,  filled  with 
mosses  and  clusters  of  scarlet  berries  amid  the  ferns,  de- 
pended here  and  there.  A  little  fire  was  burning  in  the 
grate,  lending  a  ruddy  glow,  and  through  all  there  was  a 
sense  of  warmth  and  home-tenderness,  the  sweet  and  fra- 
grant scents  of  woody  growths,  a  quiver  of  leaves  and 
depths  of  cool  greenery,  as  if  the  recess  opened  into  the 
hush  of  a  forest  at  summer  noon. 

Jessie  could  scarcely  bear  to  leave  it,  but  Madge  had 
a  hospitable  desire  to  display  the  rest  of  the  house. 

"  We  thought,  Nelly  and  I,  that  you  might  like  the 
rooms  on  this  side,  and  we  have  kept  ours  as  they  were. 
Here  is  the  dear  old  sitting-room.  O,  Jessie,  you  remem- 
ber that  night,  the  last  dear  time  we  were  all  so  happy 
together!  Somehow  I  had  not  the  heart  to  put  it  in 
order.  For  we  shall  never  be  quite  the  same  again,  and 
Nelly  fancied  that  you  might  like  it  for  some  purpose. 
For,  after  all,  the  whole  house  is  yours." 

u  I  do  not  look  at  it  in  that  light.  I  believe  Mrs.  Rachel 
meant  that  I  should  do  all  the  good  and  give  all  the  pleas- 
ure that  I  could  with  her  legacy.  While  papa  and  mamma 
live,  it  is  to  be  their  home,  no  matter  what  changes  may 
come  to  the  rest  of  us.  I  saw  mamma  to-day." 

"  And  she  was  delighted,  I  know.  You  heard  the  good 
news  ?  " 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  267 

"  That  papa's  operation  was  satisfactory,  so  far  ?  Yes. 
O,  Madge,  my  darling,  it  seems  as  if  my  life  was  one  con- 
tinual thanksgiving!  I  wonder  how  so  much  happiness 
has  come  to  me ! " 

The  lustrous  eyes  and  pure,  sweet  face  were  radiant  with 
content. 

"  One  of  us  ought  to  be  happy,"  said  Madge,  gravely. 

Jessie  studied  her  sister's  serious  mood.  Was  there  the 
shadow  of  some  old  pain  making  a  pensive  gloom  in  her 
heart  ? 

"  Are  you  satisfied  to  be  here  ? "  she  asked,  timidly. 

"  Quite.  Don't  think  of  that  for  a  moment.  Jessie,  I 
saw  them  one  Sunday.  We  came  face  to  face,  and  they 
all  recognized  me  politely.  Since  then  he  has  been  as  one 
utterly  lost  to  me  —  not  that  there  was  any  hope  before, 
you  know,  only  it  was  like  a  seal  being  placed  on  a  coffin 
lid.  I  seem  to  understand  how  he  has  changed.  But  let 
it  all  go." 

Jessie  read  the  underlying  depth  of  pain  that  Madge 
had  hidden.  Her  own  life  for  the  past  month  told  her 
what  her  more  demonstrative  sister's  hopes  had  been. 

They  returned  to  the  library,  where  the  others  were 
waiting,  Philip  and  Mr.  Graham  in  the  midst  of  an  ani- 
mated conversation. 

"  O,  and  one  thing  I  came  near  forgetting,  Jessie.  Old 
Mrs.  Deane  is  dead.  She  sent  last  week  for  some  of  us 
to  come,  and  I,  being  the  only  available  person,  went.  She 
groaned  a  great  deal  over  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  and 
thought  Mrs.  Dormer  ought  to  have  given  her  money  to 
a  hospital.  Then  she  was  very  much  afraid  your  husband 
and  your  fortune  would  be  a  snare  to  lead  you  astray,  and 
supposed  that  papa  had  completely  lost  his  faculties  by 
this  time,  and  was  desperately  lugubrious  over  our  affairs, 
What  a  miserable,  unhappy  being ! " 

Jessie  sighed  softly  for  the  poor  souls  that  went  astray 
and  wondered  if  they  found  heaven  at  the  last. 


268  HOME  NOOK,   OR 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

DAYS    BUNNY    AND    SHADY. 

MADGE  ASHBTJRTON,  bright,  restless,  and  excited,  Jis 
gered  by  the  window  again,  watching.  The  fire  burned 
brightly,  the  tremulous  leaves  swung  in  the  vine-covered 
window,  shaking  out  a  faint,  summer-like  perfume.  El- 
eanor sat  at  the  library  table  copying  music,  Greta  was 
playing  with  her  picture-book  and  talking  to  herself,  and 
Jessie  sewing.  Madge,  alone,  could  do  nothing  but 
watch. 

A  carriage  turned  up  the  drive,  and  she  flashed  through 
the  hall,  down  the  steps,  and  stood  in  breathless  expecta- 
tion, her  cheeks  flushed,  her  soft  hair  blown  about  by  the 
wind. 

Philip  sprang  out,  then  Mr.  Graham,  who  assisted  Mrs. 
Ashburton;  and,  last  of  all,  a  slender  figure,  stooping 
slightly  now,  but  still  with  patriarchal  grace  and  dignity, 
brightened  by  the  flowing  beard  and  hair  of  silvery  tint. 

"  Papa ! " 

"  Madge,  darling ! " 

It  was  the  voice  that  he  knew  so  well,  for  the  eyes  were 
still  bandaged. 

But  he  paused  in  the  hall  when  Philip  had  closed  the 
door.  Mr.  Graham  removed  the  band,  and  with  a  glad 
cry  they  were  folded  to  his  heart.  To  see  them  here  again 
in  this  dear,  familiar  place  I 

"O,"  he  said,  brokenly,  "how  can  we  thank  God  for  hia 
mercies,  which  never  fail ! " 

They  led  him  to  the  room,  no  one  making  answer. 
Gratitude  was  too  deep  for  any  immediate  demonstration 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  269 

and  the  sense  of  relief,  after  the  long  strain  on  hope,  and 
faith,  and  patience,  naturally  rendered  them  silent.  Step 
by  step  they  could  remember  each  incident  of  fresh  pain 
as  it  had  fallen  upon  them ;  but  the  joy  was  like  a  glowing 
sunrise,  sudden  and  overwhelming. 

There  they  were,  and  yet  not  quite  the  same  household. 
Ward  Graham  in  the  place  of  Clement ;  stately  Eleanor, 
less  proud  and  self-contained  than  in  the  days  of  yore ; 
sweet  Jessie,  whose  face  always  suggested  a  shady  lake  iv 
summer ;  and  Madge,  changed  more  than  the  others,  the 
indescribable  something  lost  out  of  the  face  of  the  child , 
little  Greta  climbing  his  knee  with  wondering  eyes,  a  link 
of  the  past  that  still  appeared  strange  to  him. 

To  this  deep  joy  was  shortly  after  added  a  letter  from 
Clement,  enclosing  an  order  on  a  New  York  banker  for 
the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  towards  the  payment  of 
Home  Nook.  The  peculiar  and  unusual  proposal  of  Miss 
Stanhope  could  not  for  a  moment  be  entertained.  What- 
ever wrong  Mr.  Stanhope  had  done  them  must  be  for- 
given, although  it  was  noble  in  his  child  to  offer  atone- 
ment. But  since  they  could  never  tell  how  much  was 
theirs  by  right,  they  would  take  nothing,  save  their  very 
own.  He  quite  approved  of  placing  the  purchase-money 
in  trust  for  Miss  Stanhope,  and  on  his  return  he  expected 
to  be  able  to  liquidate  the  whole  debt.  He  congratulated 
Jessie  on  her  good  fortune  and  happy  bridal,  and  hoped  to 
join  their  number  while  the  household  was  yet  unbroken. 
TTW  years  more  of  exile,  for  it  had  been  that. 

"Among  our  many  other  mercies  we  must  place  Clem- 
ent's loyal  and  unselfish  regard,"  said  their  mother.  "  All 
sons  might  not  have  proved  so  faithful  through  long 
absence." 

Philip  had  been  advanced  to  a  higher  position,  with  a 
corresponding  increase  of  salary.  He  had  given  excellent 
satisfaction,  and  entirely  regained  the  elder  Mr.  Graham' » 
regard. 


270  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

And  now  they  settled  themselves  into  a  regular  routine 
once  more.  Mrs.  Ashburton,  being  relieved  from  the  care 
and  the  nursing  of  the  last  few  years,  again  took  charge 
of  the  household.  Mr.  Ashburton  felt  at  first  that  he 
could  not  accept  the  life  of  indolent  dependence. 

But  they  all  understood  how  much  he  had  failed,  not 
only  in  health,  but  in  the  readiness  and  strength  of  his  facul- 
ties. The  long  illness  had  impaired  memory  and  vigor, 
the  weary  months  when  he  had  been  shut  out  of  the  busy 
world,  and  compelled  to  live  in  inner  solitude  of  being, 
were  not  easily  overcome  at  his  time  of  life.  It  would  be 
quite  impossible  to  fill  any  of  the  higher  positions,  and 
those  to  which  much  manual  labor  was  attached  were  still 
beyond  his  strength. 

"So  you  must  be  content,"  said  Philip,  in  his  hearty, 
generous  voice.  "I  know  that  of  old  our  brightest 
dreams  used  to  cluster  around  the  time  when  you  should 
retire  from  business,  and  spend  the  days  in  calm  content, 
happy  to  enjoy  and  study  nature,  with  no  perplexing  cares 
to  intervene." 

"But  it  was  under  different  circumstances,"  he  made 
answer,  with  a  faint  smile.  "It  is  the  parents  who  are 
commanded  to  lay  up  for  the  children." 

"God  has  seen  fit  to  order  it  otherwise  in  this  case. 
Dear  father,  can  you  not  depend  upon  your  children's 
tender  love  and  devotion  ?  " 

Mr.  Ashburton  was  moved  to  tears. 

"  You  have  been  most  noble  and  unselfish,  but  I  feel  as 
if  your  young  life  and  that  of  Clement  should  not  be  too 
heavily  burdened." 

"  We  have  youth,  and  health,  and  many  years  before  us, 
in  all  probability." 

Ward  Graham  cast  his  influence  on  Philip's  side.  After 
all,  when  it  came  to  the  point,  some  one  was  needed  to 
supervise  a  place  like  this.  Mr.  Graham  had  sent  up  hii 
horses,  and  would  be  domesticated  with  them  until  Clem 


TELE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  271 

cut's  return,  as  he  proposed  to  fill  a  son's  place,  not  only 
in  bond,  but  in  reality. 

For  between  him  and  the  family  there  had  grown  a  near 
and  tender  sympathy.  In  his  father's  house  there  was 
nothing  cold  or  positively  ungracious;  but  with  a  gay, 
worldly  woman,  like  his  step-mother,  and  a  family  of 
bright,  showy  girls,  educated  to  think  a  brilliant  marriage 
the  greatest  good,  there  had  been  but  little  of  the  fine 
interchange  of  feeling  and  affection  characterizing  the 
Ashburtons.  With  them  poverty  had  never  degenerated 
into  coarseness,  trials  had  not  rendered  them  cold  or  self- 
ishly indifferent  towards  one  another.  Not  but  that  there 
had  been  mistakes,  —  few  human  lives  are  perfect,  young 
lives  least  of  all,  —  but  they  had  learned  some  of  the  nobler 
uses  of  adversity. 

Eleanor's  path  had  been  fraught  with  the  most  pain  and 
deepest  repentance.  Pride  was  a  battle-ground  that  had 
to  be  contested  inch  by  inch,  —  to-day  a  little  gained,  to- 
morrow lost.  It  was  harder  to  climb  from  one  degree  of 
grace  to  another  than  to  float  on  the  dead  level  of  mere 
outward  acquiescence.  But  her  child  had  won  her  to  the 
strongest  effort  that  a  woman  can  make,  and  while  she 
had  health  and  talent,  she  could  not  be  dependent  upon 
those  who  had  borne  so  much  of  the  heat  and  burden. 

She  found,  too,  a  very  pleasant  position  at  Riverside. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maurice  proved  most  cordial  friends,  and 
Eleanor's  beautiful  voice  was  deemed  a  great  acquisition 
to  the  church  services. 

Another  family  had  interested  them  all  very  much  — 
a  Mr.  Wyverne,  the  organist,  and  his  sister,  who  resided 
in  a  quaint  little  cottage  not  far  from  the  parsonage.  Miss 
Wyverne  was  thirty-six,  perhaps,  and  her  brother  a  year 
or  two  younger.  To  look  in  her  sweet,  noble  face,  one 
read  that  she  had  reached  a  calm  haven  through  tempestu- 
ous seas  ;  that,  with  her  strength  and  vigor,  the  battle  had 
not  been  an  easy  one,  but  that  a  higher  than  human  grace 


272  HOME  NOOK,   OE 

had  helped  her  to  conquer  at  last.  From  their  first  intro- 
duction she  had  been  strongly  drawn  to  Eleanor  of  all  the 
Ashburton  household,  and  little  Greta  became  a  great  fa 
vorite  with  both  brother  and  sister. 

Perhaps  they  all  had  their  duties  and  spheres  mapped 
out  more  clearly  than  Madge.  To  her,  after  the  excite- 
ment had  in  some  degree  subsided,  and  the  management  of 
the  household  had  been  taken  into  other  hands,  there  came  a 
great  dearth,  a  void,  a  craving  for  something  that  she 
could  not  find  in  her  simple  daily  duties.  For  months  she 
had  been  battling  against  weariness  and  lassitude,  over- 
strained nerves,  and  the  shrinking  of  a  sore  and  pained 
soul. 

In  the  hurrying  rush  of  events,  she  had  managed  to  for- 
get herself,  and  have  others  forget  the  cruel  wound  that 
had  been  given  to  faith  and  hope.  But  now  she  glanced 
at  the  far  future  in  dismay  —  a  long,  dreary,  purposeless 
woman's  life,  without  any  aims  or  ambitions.  A  spark  of 
genius  might  have  aroused  her,  but  that  she  fancied  she 
did  not  possess.  Any  urgent  duty  would  have  excited  her 
to  action,  but  her  mother  and  Philip  insisted  that  her  sea- 
son of  rest  had  come.  The  heavy  eyes  and  pale  cheeks 
needed  something  besides  labor  to  restore  roses  and 
brightness. 

The  vague  rest  had  in  it  a  deeper  unrest.  Perhaps  it  is 
life's  dreariest  pain  to  come  to  a  time  when  circumstances 
invest  us  again  with  a  halo  that  rendered  us  fair  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world,  and  yet  to  feel  keenly  what  the  few 
years  of  exile  have  taken  from  us  never  to  be  replaced. 
And  to  young  souls,  whose  vision  is  still  narrow,  there  will 
come  moments  when  some  touch  of  the  cold  fingers  of 
sorrow  strikes  upon  life's  harp  and  produces  discord,  when 
no  fine  sympathy  can  attune  what  might  have  been  and 
is  not. 

Not  that  Madge  was  a  love-lorn  girl,  still  brooding  over 
her  disappointment.  She  had  thrust  it  out  of  sight  at  the 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  273 

beginning,  and  bowed  to  the  inevitable.  But  in  the  men- 
tal vacuity  that  fell  upon  her  now,  all  things  lost  their 
vital  charm.  She  was  exact  in  her  religious  duties,  but 
the  fervor  that  had  once  made  them  so  comforting  seemed 
no  more.  She  accompanied  Jessie  on  her  visits  of  kind- 
ness and  charity,  but  the  too  often  tiresome  stories  from 
vapid  and  narrow  souls  wearied  her  exceedingly. 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  can  endure  it,"  she  said  to  Jessie, 
"  I  rather  like  Bessie  Deane,  and  Hetty  Bright  has  a  crisp- 
ness  of  her  own  that  is  quite  refreshing.  But  these  old 
women  who  take  your  gifts  and  grumble  at  you,  who 
think  their  pains  and  aches  so  much  more  severe  than 
those  of  the  rest  of  the  world,  are  an  intolerable  nuisance. 
How  can  you  listen  so  patiently  ?  " 

"  Their  sorrows  and  petty  trials  are  very  real  to  them. 
And  it  is  their  misfortune  that  their  sphere  is  so  narrow." 

"  But  they  look  continually  at  the  four  bare  walls,  in- 
stead of  out  of  the  window,  where  they  might  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  blue  sky." 

"Do  we  never  commit  the  same  fault  ourselves?  Do 
we  never  forget  that  heaven  is  the  bit  of  blue  sky,  when 
we  refuse  to  lift  our  eyes  ?  " 

Madge  colored.  Had  she  been  looking  steadily  at  the  four 
walls,  dark  and  narrow,  with  no  ray  of  sympathetic  love  ? 

"  Jessie,"  after  a  long  pause,  "  how  can  you  always  keep 
so  calm  and  tranquil  ?  " 

u  Do  I  ?  "  with  a  soft  little  smile. 

"  It  seems  so  to  me  —  as  if  nothing  ever  troubled  you." 

"  And  yet  a  great  many  things  have  troubled  and  pained 
me.  Only  since  God  has  asked  us  to  cast  our  burdens 
upon  Him  —  " 

"I  am  afraid  that  is  what  I  don't  understand,"  Madge 
answered,  thoughtfully.  "For  when  we  look  about  and 
see  the  many  trials  that  are  brought  upon  us  by  the  self- 
ishness of  others,  we  sometimes  question  whether  God 
has  anything  to  do  with  it." 
18 


274  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

"  O  Madge  !  God  doesn't  mean  that  we  shall  question 
the  acts  of  others.  It  is  just  the  effect  upon  ourselvea 
that  concerns  us.  It  seems  to  me  that  all  this  weary 
wondering  with  which  we  perplex  ourselves  is  the  part  of 
the  burden  that  He  is  so  willing  to  bear." 

Madge  sighed. 

"My  darling,  do  you  mean  to  go  treading  on  thorns 
when  there  are  pleasanter  paths  ? "  said  the  sweet,  plead- 
ing voice. 

"O,  Jessie,  there  is  so  much,  after  all,  that  is  wearisome 
in  life  !  Sometimes  I  almost  wish  I  was  back  at  the  old 
work,  when  I  had  no  time  for  thought." 

"But  we  cannot  get  away  from  ourselves;  so  we  must 
divide  the  burden." 

"How  can  one  do  it?" 

"By  taking  part  of  some  other  person's." 

"But  it  seems  to  me  that  you  are  all  so  happy  now, 
there  is  nothing  left  for  me  to  do.  I  begin  to  feel  that  a 
woman's  sphere  is  essentially  narrow,  unless  there  is  some 
special  demand  made  upon  her.  And  I  have  a  horror  of 
falling  into  the  inanities  and  foolish  weakness  of  some 
people." 

They  had  been  rambling  slowly  along  through  this  talk. 
It  was  a  mild  March  day,  with  a  breath  of  spring  in  the 
air ;  and  now  they  paused,  as  they  saw  Mr.  Wyverne  com- 
ing in  the  opposite  direction,  with  his  hands  full  of 
trailing  arbutus. 

"The  first  trophies  of  spring,"  he  said,  with  a  smile. 
"Come  in,  and  share  them  with  me." 

He  opened  the  gate  as  he  spoke,  and  the  two  girk 
entered  almost  involuntarily. 

There,  in  the  cozy  sitting-room,  they  found  Miss  Wy- 
verne and  Miss  Hetty. 

tt  We  were  having  an  old  maid's  gossip,"  explained  Miss 
Wyverne,  laughingly,  "and  were  just  thinking  of  starting 
out  for  Home  Nook  to  hold  another  solemn  conclave.  So 


THE   CROWN  OF  DUTY.  275 

we  are  most  glad  to  welcome  you.  O,  Robert,  what  a  de- 
licious armful  of  wild  flowers !  You  have  made  a  pilgrim- 
age  to  the  woods  without  me." 

"I  strayed  into  it  without  the  slightest  intention,  I 
assure  you.  Go  on  with  your  talk  while  I  make  a  bouquet 
for  Mrs.  Graham.  I  see  that  Miss  Hetty's  face  is  brimful 
of  something." 

The  same  odd  little  body,  with  her  head  still  full  of 
silvery  curls,  and  a  complexion  as  fresh  as  a  child's.  It 
seemed  to  Jessie  as  if  she  would  never  grow  old. 

"I  wanted  to  see  you,  my  dear,"  to  Jessie.  "I  had  an 
idea  in  my  head,  and  you  know  that  such  a  thing  can 
never  stay  there  long  without  causing  me  a  deal  of 
trouble." 

"  The  results  of  your  ideas  are  so  excellent  that  they 
deserve  to  be  brought  forward  as  soon  as  possible,"  said 
Mr.  Wyverne,  making  a  mound  with  his  flowers  on  the 
green  leathern-covered  library  table. 

"And  what  wag  this  ?"  asked  Jessie. 

Miss  Hetty  colored  a  little,  and  for  a  moment  seemed 
hardly  ready  with  a  reply. 

"It  is  a  really  grand  idea,"  declared  Miss  Wyverne. 
"  A  hospital  for  sick  and  disabled  old  ladies." 

Miss  Hetty  laughed  merrily. 

"I  suppose  you  think  I  shall  have  it  all  ready  to  go  into, 
myself,  but  I  mean  to  keep  brisk  for  many  a  year  yet." 

"What  gave  you  the  idea,  Miss  Hetty?"  asked  Mr. 
Wyverne. 

*•  Well,  I've  had  a  hospital,  as  you  may  say,  nearly  all 
my  life,  and  I've  grown  rather  fond  of  nursing.  Poor  deal 
sister  used  often  to  say,  —  for  she  was  always  thinking  of 
others,  —  *I  wish  every  one  who  was  sick  could  have  as 
good  care  as  I  do.'  And  there's  that  poor  Jenny  Yates 
lying  helpless  in  her  sister's  house,  with  a  crowd  of  noisy 
children  around  her,  and  suffering  everything  for  the  wanv 
of  a  little  quiet  ar^  care.  It  makes  my  heart  ache  every 


276  HOME   NOOK,    OB 

time  I  look  at  her.     And  here  I  am  with  oceans  of  money 
that  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with  —  " 

Miss  Hetty  paused  for  breath,  her  little  round  face 
quite  flushed  and  excited. 

"What  a  misfortune !"  said  Mr.  Wyverne,  with  a  touch 
of  quiet  amusement. 

**  Well,  there's  quite  a  large  income,  beyond  what  I  can 
use ;  and  I  never  did  approve  of  burying  any  talent  that 
might  come  to  me.  And  I've  been  casting  about  as  to 
what  I  could  do.  You  see,  there's  no  kith  or  kin  for  me 
to  adopt,  and  it  seems  now  as  if  I  had  nothing  to  busy 
myself  with.  So  if  I  take  in  a  few  of  the  poor  and  dis- 
abled—" 

u  A  cup  of  cold  water,"  said  Jessie,  softly,  slipping  her 
hand  within  Miss  Hetty's. 

"But  the  house  is  such  a  little  pigeon's  nest,  and  it 
would  have  to  be  made  larger.  I  was  coming  to  see  Miss 
Jessie  about  it." 

"  O,  you  must  let  Madge  plan  that !  She  has  a  gift  for 
such  things." 

"  The  extent  of  my  genius  for  drawing,"  said  Madge, 
with  a  laugh. 

"  And  you  really  think  of  undertaking  this  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Wyverne,  seriously. 

UI  ought  to  improve  the  time  I  have  left,  remembering 
whose  it  is.  And  the  money,  you  know,  came  so  like  a 
gift  —  we  never  expected  to  see  a  penny  of  it." 

Miss  Hetty  still  held  it  in  a  peculiar  awe,  as  if  it  was 
hardly  her  own. 

"It  will  be  a  most  noble  work,"  said  Mr.  Wyverne, 
*  and  many  of  our  great  enterprises  have  been  started  on 
u  smaller  scale.  But  you  must  be  prepared  for  ingrati- 
tude and  misrepresentation.  I  cannot  understand  why, 
but  nearly  all  good  objects  have  to  make  a  hard  fight  in 
the  beginning." 

"I  am  sure  if  I  don't  ask  any  odds  of  anybody  there 


i'HE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  277 

need  be  little  trouble.  And  if  I  offer  them  food,  and 
shelter,  and  care  —  " 

"You  will  be  making  the  best  and  highest  use  of  your 
means,  and  God  can  but  smile  upon  your  undertaking." 

Jessie  was  delighted  with  the  idea,  and  insisted  that 
Miss  Hetty  should  come  and  take  tea  with  them,  when 
they  would  discuss  it  more  at  length.  Mr.  Wyverne 
walked  over  also,  sure  of  a  welcome.  Madge  fell  a  little 
behind,  and  accepted  him  for  a  companion,  and  when 
Jessie  saw  the  bright  eyes  and  soft  cheeks  warm  with  a 
delicate  flush,  she  smiled  inwardly. 

They  found  that  Miss  Hetty  had  digested  her  ideas 
more  thoroughly  than  appeared  on  the  surface.  She  was 
in  truest  earnest;  and,  with  her  usual  energy,  but  little 
time  was  to  be  lost  in  considering  the  feasibility  of  the 
scheme,  as  it  affected  those  at  a  distance.  It  was  good, 
heartsome  work,  and  she  was  willing  to  undertake  it ;  so 
why  should  she  delay  ? 

"  Only,  I  couldn't  take  in  more  than  two  or  three,  as  the 
place  stands.  I  have  a  fancy  that  I  should  always  like  to 
keep  Rachel's  room  as  it  is,  to  be  a  kind  of  sanctuary  to 
me  when  I  am  a  little  tired  or  discouraged,  if  such  a 
thing  ever  happens  to  me.  But  right  at  the  side  we 
might  build  an  addition,  and  I  could  have  the  flower- 
garden  left  as  it  is." 

"The  plan  is  very  sensible,"  said  Mr.  Graham.  "You 
will  feel  more  comfortable  to  have  part  of  your  house 
reserved  strictly  for  your  own  use.  But  you  surely  could 
not  take  care  of  many  invalids. " 

"I  could  find  nurses  as  I  wanted  them.  One  and 
another  poor  homeless  creature  would  be  glad  to  come ; 
and  now,  if  any  one  will  learn  for  me  what  kind  of  a  place 
I  could  put  up,  say,  for  six  or  seven  thousand  dollars  —  that 
is  as  much  as  I  should  feel  free  to  spend." 

"Miss  Madge,"  said  Mr.  Wyv erne,  "  what  was  it  you! 
sister  said  about  your  gift  for  pla/ming  houses?" 


278  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Madge  laughed  a  little. 

"O,  it  was  nothing.  Instead  of  drawing  landscapes  and 
foliage,  I  used  to  fill  my  paper  with  cottages,  and  all  man- 
ner of  odd  rooms,  and  nooks,  and  corners.  I  suppose  it 
was  because  I  loved  this  old  house  so  well." 

"Will  you  not  show  them  to  me ?" 

"  They  are  hardly  worth  the  going  over." 

"  Still,  I  desire  it." 

Madge  brought  her  portfolio,  and  the  two  sat  down  to 
a  little  quartet  table,  and  began  to  inspect  the  sketches 
that  were  done  with  the  neatness  and  fidelity  of  a  steel 
engraving. 

"So  you  think  you  have  no  genius,"  he  said,  laugh- 
ingly. 

"Not  enough  for  my  ambition.  I  could  never  paint  a 
picture ;  and  these  are  nearly  all  hints  and  suggestions 
from  things  I  have  seen." 

"What  is  this?" 

Madge  colored  warmly. 

"  O,  this  is  part  of  my  chapel.  I  did  not  know  that  it 
was  here." 

"Miss  Ashburton,  you  ought  to  study  architecture.  I 
wonder  that  this  field  is  not  entered  by  women." 

"  Because  we  go  everywhere  ?  "  and  she  smiled. 

"No,  but  because  women  understand  so  much  more 
thoroughly  the  uses  of  a  house  than  a  man.  And  thia 
is  —  " 

"  My  east  window.  You  see,  I  meant  to  be  very  grand. 
I  did  that  not  long  ago." 

He  studied  it  attentively.  The  brilliant  colors  were 
most  artistically  arranged,  and  the  design  perfect. 

Then  they  were  called  upon  to  share  some  discussion  as 
to  the  plan  under  consideration,  and  Madge  forgot  about 
her  chapel  until  the  party  broke  up,  when  Mr.  Wyverne 
said,  — 

"I  wish  to  take  this  window  with  me  —  may  I?  It 
interests  me  very  much.'* 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  279 

Madge  nodded  acquiescently. 

Miss  Hetty  begged  for  a  little  music,  "  for  it  is  next  t« 
hearing  it  in  church,"  said  she. 

Mr.  Wyverne  sat  down  to  the  piano,  then  asked 
Eleanor  to  select  something. 

Two  verses  seemed  peculiarly  touching  to  both  Miss 
Hetty  and  Madge  :  — 

"  In  the  wilderness  astray, 

In  the  lonely  waste  they  roam, 
Hungry,  fainting  by  the  way, 
Far  from  refuge,  shelter,  home. 

"  To  the  Lord  their  God  they  cry ; 

He  inclines  a  gracious  ear, 
Sends  deliverance  from  on  high, 
Rescues  them  from  all  their  fear." 

And  if  Miss  Hetty  could  find  a  duty  that  would  be 
both  labor  and  love,  would  Madge  fail  if  she  sought  ear- 
nestly ?  Looking  down  the  dim  future,  she  seemed  to  see 
a  tall  and  slender  Miss  Ashburton,  with  some  silvery 
threads  in  her  bright  hair,  but  the  face  subdued  to  the 
womanly  sweetness  of  one  who  has  found  rest  for  her 
soul 


280  HOME   NOOK,   OB 


CHAPTER   XXTL 

WORK      IN      EABNEST. 

Miss  HETTY  encountered  some  of  the  difficulties  in  the 
path  the  very  next  day.  She  called  on  Jenny  Yates,  who 
listened  to  her  proposal  with  the  utmost  gratitude ;  but 
Mrs  Brown,  her  sister,  a  loud,  slatternly  kind  of  woman, 
was  roused  to  indignation. 

"Do  you  think  I'm  so  poor  that  I  can't  take  care  of 
her  myself — and  rny  own  sister,  too?  If  she's  com- 
plained to  you,  she's  a  miserable,  ungrateful  hussy !  I'm 
sure  she  has  the  best  of  everything,  and  me  a  slaving  off 
my  very  finger  ends  ! " 

"No,  I  never  fancied  you  unwilling ;  but  for  a  woman  with 
five  small  children  and  a  husband,  you  have  work  enough 
without  the  care  of  an  invalid.  And  Jenny  is  so  helpless 
that  she  needs  much  attention,  while  it  seems  to  me  that  a 
nice,  quiet  place  would  be  so  much  more  comfortable  for 
her." 

And  Miss  Hetty  could  not  help  glancing  round  the  small, 
untidy  room,  where  the  air  was  close,  no  clean,  wholesome 
smells  of  spring  being  admitted. 

"  Well,  I've  never  found  fault,  though  she  is  a  sight  of 
trouble,  hardly  being  able  to  stir  hand  or  foot.  But  if  you 
folks  get  a  little  money,  you  come  lording  it  over  us ;  and 
we're  as  good  flesh  and  blood  as  you  are.  We  ain't  paupers 
yet,  I  want  you  to  know." 

"  O,  don't,  Mary,  when  Miss  Hetty  is  so  kind,"  interposed 
the  helpless  girl. 

**  You  hold  your  tongue !  You're  so  stuck  up  now,  along 
o'  folks  comin'  in  to  see  you,  that  you  don't  think  anything 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  281 

is  good  enough.  But  while  I  have  a  home,  no  one  shall 
say  that  I  threw  you  on  the  town." 

In  vain  Miss  Hetty  tried  to  explain  the  case ;  Mrs. 
Brown  grew  more  unreasonable  with  every  breath ;  so  the 
former  thought  it  wisdom  to  depart. 

She  went  directly  over  to  the  Ashburtons,  and  detailed 
her  unfortunate  attempt. 

"  I  am  sure  I  have  heard  Mrs.  Brown  complain  bitterly 
of  having  Jenny  ill  and  helpless,  until  my  heart  aches  for 
the  poor  child.  And  those  unruly  children  are  enough  to 
set  one  crazy.  But  Jenny  does  not  look  as  if  she  would 
stand  it  very  long." 

"  It  will  be  a  happy  release,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton, "  and 
I  think  Jennie  quite  prepared  for  the  change." 

"  But  it  is  a  pity  she  cannot  have  a  little  quiet  comfort 
until  she  finds  it  in  the  grave,"  Miss  Hetty  rejoined, 
warmly.  "  And  maybe  I  have  made  a  mistake.  Perhaps 
people  won't  like  the  idea  of  charity." 

"I  could  easily  find  you  one  inmate,"  announced  Jessie, 
almost  smiling  over  the  great  disappointment  visible  in 
every  line  of  the  face. 

"Could  you?  Who?  For  now  that  I  have  set  my 
heart  on  the  idea,  I  cannot  bear  to  give  it  up.  And  I 
know  that  if  Rachel  had  been  hearty  and  strong,  there  is 
nothing  she  would  like  half  so  well.  God's  poor  children 
she  used  to  call  them." 

a  I  was  in  to  see  old  Mrs.  Bristow  last  week,  and  she 
was  full  of  sorrow.  Her  son's  second  wife  has  never 
treated  her  kindly,  and  now  he  drinks  a  great  deal,  and 
seems  to  have  lost  all  tender  regard  for  his  mother.  They 
were  talking  of  sending  her  to  the  almshouse." 

"  What  a  shame !  and  such  a  good  mother  as  she  was  to 
him!  Why,  that  will  be  excellent,  Miss  Jessie  —  the  old 
name  comes  so  handy,  you  see ; "  and  Miss  Hetty  smiled, 
oddly.  "  But  I  will  be  wiser  this  time.  I  will  ask  her  to 
come  and  visit  me,  and  if  she  likes  it,  she  can  stay." 


HOME   NOOK,   OB 

Madge  laughed  at  this  stroke  of  policy. 

"  And  if  everything  else  fails,  I  can  go  out  into  the  high 
ways  and  hedges  and  compel  them  to  come  in." 

"  She  will  hardly  be  able  to  walk  that  far,"  said  Jessie, 
thoughtfully.  "So, if  you  would  like  the  carriage  —  " 

"  If  you  think  we  should  not  frighten  Mrs.  Bristow  with 
our  grand  state ; "  and  Miss  Hetty  shook  her  silvery  curia 
with  a  questioning  nod. 

They  went  that  very  afternoon  —  Miss  Hetty  was  sc 
impatient  to  begin.  The  younger  Mrs,.  Bristow  seemed  a 
good  deal  flattered  by  the  call,  and  entertained  her  visitois 
with  an  almost  fulsome  civility.  The  poor  old  lady,  in  her 
soiled  cap  and  ragged  gown,  was  a  rather  pitiable  object. 
Past  seventy,  and  almost  blind,  she  had  come  to  be  con- 
sidered a  great  encumbrance. 

Miss  Hetty  gave  her  invitation  in  the  mildest  manner 
possible,  fearful  of  some  under-current  of  objection. 

"To  be  sure  she'll  go,  and  the  change '11  do  her 
good,"  said  Mrs.  Bristow,  eagerly.  "  I  should  think  you 
would  be  lonesome  in  that  place  where  your  sister  died, 
and  not  a  livin'  soul  to  speak  to !  Granny,  you  run  up 
stairs  and  get  ready  right  away.  Here,  Sarah  Jane,  you 
go  and  help  her.  She  mopes  about  dreadfully,  bein'  so 
near  blind.  If  I  haven't  had  a  hard  row,  then  no  woman 
ever  had  ;  and  Tom  drunk  half  the  time  !  " 

It  was  Mrs.  Bristow's  habit  to  detail  her  troubles  to 
every  one  who  came  in.  The  children,  and  Tom,  and 
Granny  were  her  prolific  subjects,  and  the  two  guests  were 
rather  glad  when  they  were  able  to  bring  the  call  to  an  end. 

After  her  mother-in-law  had  been  helped  into  the  car- 
riage, Mrs.  Bristow  came  with  a  great  bundle. 

UI  thought  I'd  bring  her  a  change  of  clothes,"  she 
said.  "  Old  people  are  queer  about  such  things.  And  now 
Granny,  don't  you  go  to  getting  homesick !  " 

Miss  Hetty  smiled  again  as  they  drove  away. 

u  A  gladder  creature  you  never  saw,"  she  said,  a  fe\» 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  283 

days  after,  to  Mrs.  Ashburton.  "  Why,  when  I  told  her  all 
the  plan,  she  cried  like  a  baby,  and  kissed  my  hand  over 
and  over  again.  She  is  so  happy  and  thankful,  that  it  is  a 
real  pleasure !  And  I  guess  her  daughter-in-law  hoped 
she  would  stay,  for  she  sent  every  old  rag  belonging  to 
her,  and  half  of  them  are  not  fit  to  put  on.  But  if  I 
only  had  poor  Jenny  Yates !  " 

Mrs.  Brown  gave  the  hospital  project  a  good  airing. 

Miss  Hetty  could  hardly  have  had  a  better  prospectus. 
AM.  Riverside  knew  before  long  that  Miss  Hetty  Bright 
meant  to  open  her  house  to  the  lame,  and  the  halt,  and  the 
blind,  and  sow  her  small  fortune  broadcast. 

Mr.  Maurice  and  Mr.  Wy  verne  gave  it  a  hearty  indorse- 
ment. In  the  course  of  a  month,  Miss  Hetty  found  that 
the  highways  and  byways  were  quite  ready  to  accept  her 
invitation,  and  that  the  house  enlargement  would  be 
needed.  So  they  were  all  busy  enough  planning,  and 
Madge  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  work. 

One  afternoon  Mr.  Wy  verne  walked  up  to  Home  Nook 
with  Eleanor,  whom  he  had  met  on  the  cars.  They  found 
Madge  on  the  lawn,  entertaining  baby  Greta  with  a  mar- 
vellous picture-book. 

Something  of  the  old  brightness  had  returned.  All  the 
gay  girlishness  would  never  be  there  again,  not  even  with 
the  most  perfect  health ;  for  after  we  have  once  sipped  the 
chalice  of  a  profound  and  costly  experience  to  the  very 
dregs,  there  may  be  summer  ripeness,  with  a  soul  deeper, 
stronger,  and  richer,  but  hardly  the  abundant  bloom  of  the 
earlier  spring. 

"Do  you  remember  your  design  for  a  stained-glass 
window?"  Mr.  Wyverne  asked  presently. 

"  Yes.     You  have  it,  I  believe." 

"Would  you  object  to  part  with  it?" 

"  No ; "  and  she  glanced  wonderingly  at  him. 

"I  showed  it  to  a  friend  of  mine,  who  thought  it  very 


284  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  O ! "  and  Madge  flushed  with  pleasure. 

"  He  has  offered  two  hundred  dollars  for  it.  It  is  worth 
more,  he  admits,  but  he  cannot  afford  to  make  any  better 
proposal,  and  would  really  like  to  have  it.  It  might  be  a 
good  thing  for  you  if  you  cared  to  try  the  work." 

"  Two  hundred  dollars !  Why  it  is  splendid  ;  is  it  not, 
Nelly  ?  O,  Mr.  Wyverne !  how  can  I  ever  thank  you  ?  " 

She  brushed  back  the  bright  hair  in  her  eagerness,  still 
incredulous. 

"  Will  you  empower  me,  then,  to  conclude  the  bargain?" 

"  I  shall  be  more  than  obliged  to  you  for  the  trouble." 

"  It  will  be  a  pleasure  to  me  " 

The  scarlet  lip  quivered  a  little.  With  a  great  tremble 
in  her  voice,  she  said,  — 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  that  it  is  really  mine  ?  For  I  can- 
not believe  —  " 

"That  you  have  blossomed  into  a  genius?  My  friend 
thinks  that  you  should  cultivate  your  talent  to  the  utmost." 

Madge  ran  off  to  her  mother  with  the  joyful  news.  By 
degrees  she  had  drifted  back  to  the  old  place  in  that  dear 
heart,  to  the  tender  twilight  confidences  that  cleared  up  so 
many  difficulties.  She  was  learning  that  no  one  could 
spring  at  once  to  the  top  of  the  Rock  that  is  so  much 
higher  than  ourselves.  In  her  blindness,  she  had  missed 
for  a  while  the  sure  steps  provided  by  a  wiser  hand,  and 
going  back,  sought  them  with  careful  patience.  A  cheer- 
ful, steady  endurance  first,  instead  of  the  dull  resistance 
that  she  had  once  called  resignation;  and  then,  waiting 
God's  appointed  time,  leaning  on  Him  when  the  waves  rose 
high.  She  began  to  understand  the  grand  secret  of 
Jessie's  life. 

They  were  all  wonderfully  pleased  with  her  good  for 
tune.  Philip  and  Mr.  Graham  congratulated  her. 

"I  believe  I  was  meant  for  some  kind  of  a  business 
woman,"  she  said,  laughingly.  "  And  though  this  may  not 
be  very  profitable,  it  will  afford  me  a  new  interest." 


THE   CROWN  OP  DUTY.  285 

"Was  life  so  devoid  of  it?"  asked  her  mother,  with  a 
half  sad,  half  sweet  smile. 

"  O,  no,  mamma ;  don't  think  that.  There  al  frays  was  a 
restless  spirit  within  me,  and  it  will  take  years  to  bring  me 
to  any  kind  of  harmonious  development.  Why  do  you 
look  so  grave  ?  " 

"  My  darling,  I  do  not  want  you  to  make  a  rebound  to 
the  other  extreme.  Home  must  always  be  a  woman's 
most  sacred  sphere,  and  instead  of  making  it  conform  to 
other  duties,  she  should  make  other  duties  subservient  to 
it,  unless  there  is  an  urgent  necessity  for  her  to  enter  the 
world's  arena." 

"O,  mamma!  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  danger  of 
my  becoming  a  noisy  reformer,  though  I  do  not  think  I 
have  Jessie's  or  Nelly's  special  gift  for  the  small,  sweet 
graces  of  the  fireside.  But  they  may  come  by  cultivation. 
You  know  how  I  once  rebelled  against  teaching  school ; 
but  I  find  now  that,  in  return,  it  taught  me  some  of  my 
grandest  lessons.  I  seem  to  understand  Greta  the  better 
for  having  studied  other  children,  and  my  impulses  are  not 
so  impatient.  And  I  begin  to  see  what  the  apostle  meant 
when  he  said,  'Tribulation  worketh  patience,  and  patience 
experience,  and  experience  hope.'  " 

"  And  I  pray  the  last  may  bear  fruit  abundantly  with 
you,  my  dear  child,"  the  mother  said,  kissing  the  sweet 
young  face. 

It  was  a  happy  summer.  Without  demanding  anything 
the  Ashburtons  had  been  reinstated  in  their  old  position. 
Their  refinement  and  culture  had  in  it  the  ring  of  true 
gold,  and  Riverside  soon  found  them  one  of  its  chief  at- 
tractions. 

Miss  Hetty's  new  house  progressed  rapidly.  Madge  and 
Jessie  had  planned  the  interior.  On  the  ground  floor  there 
were  three  rooms,  and  above,  the  same  number,  with  the 
addition  of  a  bath-room.  Plain,  neat,  and  convenient, 
quite  distinct  from  the  other  part,  if  one  chose  to  shut  it 


286  HOME    NOOK,  OB 

off.  Already  Miss  Hetty  had  three  inmates,  and  had  found 
it  necessary  to  call  in  the  services  of  a  good  strong 
woman.  Mrs.  Brown  had  changed  her  opinion  somewhat, 
aided  considerably  by  Mr.  Maurice. 

"And  I  do  believe  now  that  she  would  be  willing  to 
have  me  go,"  said  poor  Jenny,  tremulously.  "  O,  if  I  only 
could ! " 

"The  poor  child!"  ejaculated  Miss  Hetty.  "She  eha), 
come  and  have  a  little  rest  and  peace.  If  you  could  onlj? 
manage  it,  Miss  Jessie!" 

Jessie  did  "  manage  "  it  very  nicely.  Mrs.  Brown  con- 
sidered it  a  great  favor  to  accede,  and  confessed  that  she 
never  had  any  wonderful  opinion  of  such  places,  as  the  heads 
of  them  usually  wanted  a  great  deal  of  glorifying,  and  she 
nor  hers  ever  had  come  to  charity  yet. 

"But  if  you  chose,  you  might  do  many  things  for 
Jenny,  there,  sending  her  clothes  and  food." 

"  No,  indeed.  If  she  goes,  I  shall  wash  my  hands  of 
the  matter,"  was  the  tart  reply.  "  If  Miss  Hetty  wants  her 
so  much,  let  her  take  care  of  her,  then." 

So  Jenny  Yates  was  removed  to  pure  air,  quiet,  and 
Cleanliness.  For  nearly  five  years  she  had  been  disabled, 
first  with  inflammatory  rheumatism,  and  then  partial 
paralysis.  Now  she  was  quite  helpless,  sometimes  not 
even  having  the  use  of  her  hands. 

"  That  crowds  me  pretty  well,"  said  Miss  Hetty,  "  but 
we  shall  soon  be  in  the  new  part.  But  I  am  glad  to  take 
her  in,  for  she  seems  to  me  like  one  of  the  Saviour's  '  little 
ones.'  And  now,  my  dear,  I  have  something  else  to  tell 
you,  which  is  very  odd.  Read  this  letter." 

It  was  an  early  summer  evening,  and  they  were  sitting 
on  the  wide  porch  at  Home  Nook.  Miss  Hetty  drew  the 
epistle  from  her  capacious  pocket,  in  which  she  managed 
to  stow  away  a  little  of  everything,  and  handed  it  to 
Jessie. 

The  writing  was  in  a  delicate,  lady-like  hand,  and  the 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  287 

person  told  her  story  very  simply ;  a  widow,  past  forty, 
with  no  children  or  near  relatives,  and  but  a  era  all  incom?, 
an  incurable  invalid.  "I  listened  oue  day  to  a  description 
of  yourself  and  the  work  you  were  proposing  to  do,"  she 
wrote,  "and  the  idea  has  haunted  my  mind  until  it  has 
given  me  courage  to  speak.  I  am  not  a  proper  subject  for 
a  hospital,  because  there  is  no  remedy  for  my  lingering 
diseases  —  nothing  but  waiting  God's  time  patiently.  But 
my  income  is  not  large  enough  to  board  and  keep  a  nurse, 
and  I  have  often  thought  that  if  I  could  find  some  home 
for  helpless  invalids,  where  T  could  have  care  in  common 
with  others,  I  might  be  able  to  ofier  partial  remuneration. 
If  such  an  arrangement  could  be  made  that,  by  paying  five 
dollars  a  week,  I  could  secure  a  quiet  home  and  a  little 
religious  society,  I  should  be  most  grateful.  In  the  summer, 
I  am  able  to  walk  out  short  distances  but  in  the  winter  I  am 
confined  to  my  room,  much  of  the  time  to  my  bed.  Think 
over  my  case,  and  if  it  is  possible  to  ofier  me  any  refuge, 
may  G-od  kindly  dispose  your  heart  towards  such  a  work 
of  charity." 

"  She  is  a  lady,  evidently,"  said  Jessie,  "  and  a  patient 
Christian  woman.  But  where  could  she  have  heard  ?  "  •»- 

"  You  know  I  meant  to  take  in  only  poor  people,"  was 
Miss  Hetty's  rather  hesitating  rejoinder.  "A  kind  of  Old 
Ladies'  Home,  but  for  the  sick  as  well." 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  express  an  opinion  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Graham,  with  a  smile. 

"  O,  certainly." 

"Mr.  Maurice,  Mr.  Wyverne,  and  I  have  been  discuss* 
rag  your  project  with  the  judgment  and  wider  experience 
of  men.  At  present,  it  is  your  charity,  supported  by  your 
money ;  but  we  think  you  are  laying  the  foundation  of  a 
work  too  noble  to  be  allowed  to  perish  with  your  life ;  yet: 
in  order  to  outlast  you,  it  must  have  a  permanent  organiza- 
tion, and  some  source  of  income.  I  will  tell  you  now  that 
Jessie  and  I  mean  to  endow  one  room  —  that  is,  set  aside, 


288  HOME   NOOK,    OB 

say  three  hundred  dollars,  to  be  paid  every  year  for  the 
care  of  this  particular  inmate.  In  the  course  of  time,  you 
may  have  similar  donations.  And  if  this  person  under 
consideration  is  every  way  worthy,  it  certainly  would  be  a 
charity  to  receive  her.  Few  private  families  are  so  situated 
that  they  could  take  proper  care  of  an  invalid  for  that 
compensation,  while  in  a  place  like  this  it  would  probably 
pay  all  the  cost.  A  few  such  inmates  would  help  in  the 
expenses,  and  in  no  wise  detract  from  the  benevolence  of 
your  idea." 

Miss  Hetty  rubbed  her  eyes  in  a  sort  of  dazed  way,  as 
if  she  had  but  half  understood. 

"  My  heart  went  out  to  the  poor  thing  at  once,"  she  ex- 
claimed, "  when  I  read  that  line  where  she  said  she  heard 
that  I  had  lost  my  only  relative,  an  invalid  sister." 

"  If  you  like,  Jessie  and  I  might  visit  her." 

"  O,  that  would  be  so  kind  !  You  see,  after  all,  I  have 
not  much  head  for  business,  except  the  plainest  of  figures. 
My  house  will  cost  five  thousand,  and  the  fitting  up  perhaps 
a  thousand  more.  After  that,  I  shall  have  the  income  of 
about  twelve  thousand  dollars ;  so  I  shall  have  to  manage 
economically.  And  you  are  so  good  to  think  of — " 

"  We  want  an  interest  in  it,  you  see,"  with  a  grave  smile. 
"  But  I  believe,  when  you  have  your  plans  all  made,  that 
some  organization  will  be  necessary." 

"  You  will  make  me  out  too  grand,  I  am  afraid.  After 
all,  it  is  just  a  home  for  a  few  poor,  sick  people  who  are 
queer,  and  a  trouble  to  every  one  else." 

"A  hiding-place  in  the  storm,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton, 
softly.  "  Dear  Miss  Hetty,  your  noble  work  will  shame  us 
all." 

"  I  am  sure  I  could  never  have  put  my  ideas  ,in  such 
good  order  but  for  you  here  at  Home  Nook.  It  seems  to 
me,  after  all,  that  the  fortune  did  come  just  in  the  right 
time.  Poor  cousin  Bright !  Maybe  he  knows  now  how 
good  an  investment  he  made  for  us ; "  and  Miss  Hetty  gave 
a  sigh  to  his  memory. 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  289 

Jessie  and  Mr.  Graham  went  to  call  upon  the  new  appli- 
cant, Mrs.  Farrand,  and  were  much  pleased  with  her.  They 
detailed  at  length  the  plan  of  the  Home,  and  that  it  would 
be  most  simple  in  its  operations. 

"Everything  I  hear  impresses  me  more  favorably  with 
it,"  she  answered.  "  Let  me  try  it  for  six  months,  at  least. 
A  woman  with  so  large  a  heart  as  your  Miss  Bright  could 
not  fail  to  be  kind  to  those  under  her  care ;  and  that  ia 
what  we  invalids  need  most  of  all.  A  friend  of  Mr. 
Maurice  was  explaining  the  plan  to  me,  and  already  I 
have  taken  a  great  fancy  to  your  clergyman." 

So  they  promised  to  let  her  know  the  decision  by  the  time 
the  building  was  completed. 

Miss  Hetty  received  several  donations  towards  the  fur- 
nishing. Madge  had  gone  into  the  project  with  her  whole 
soul,  and  they  found  Miss  Wyverne  invaluable.  By  the 
middle  of  August  it  was  ready  to  be  put  in  order,  and  a 
number  of  ladies  volunteered  to  assist. 

There  were  five  chambers  on  the  second  floor,  counting 
the  two  in  the  old  part.  Jenny  Yates  and  Granny  Bristow 
shared  the  room  where  Madge  had  once  dreamed  her 
happy  dream  and  slept  in  all  the  unconsciousness  of  girlish 
love  and  trust.  She  never  went  there  without  thinking  oi 
it,  and  the  fervent  gratitude  of  both  women  seemed  to 
hallow  the  brief  bloom.  So  she  begged  that  they  should 
not  be  removed. 

Then  there  was  another  poor,  palsied  thing,  deserted  by 
friends  and  left  to  the  mercy  of  strangers.  Ah  !  how  little 
is  human  love  of  the  immortal,  save  in  favorable  circum- 
stances !  Does  that,  too,  bear  the  bane  of  the  first  <??n  ? 

Besides  these  three,  a  younger  woman,  in  consumption, 
and  strong-armed  Catharine  Day,  who  could  be  gertle  and 
tender  in  spite  of  the  gaunt  figure  and  hard-featured  face. 
Miss  Hetty  could  hardly  have  found  a  better  assistant  than 
this  one  who  had  come  of  her  own  accord,  and  who  had 
been  a  playmate  in  younger  days. 
19 


290  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Mrs.  Farrand  was  summoned  presently.  The  second 
floor  was  devoted  to  the  inmates,  for  Miss  Hetty  still  clung 
to  the  room  she  and  Rachel  had  shared  so  long. 

They  found  Jessie's  description  of  Mrs.  Farrand  not 
overdrawn.  A  gentle,  yet  high-minded  Christian  woman, 
bearing  her  trials  with  patience,  and  grateful  as  only  an 
appreciative  soul  can  be,  with  no  morbid  pride  concerning 
a  home  that  might  be  construed  to  have  in  it  some  sense 
of  obligation. 

Mr.  Maurice  opened  the  house  with  a  simple  and  touch- 
ing service.  Quite  a  congregation  were  gathered,  many  of 
whom  appreciated  the  good  work,  and  wished  its  founder 
God-speed.  But  there  were  not  wanting  some  to  prejudice 
or  utter  dismal  forebodings.  A  few  did  not  hesitate  to 
pronounce  Miss  Hetty  a  great  fool,  and  predict  that  she 
would  need  the  money  herself  that  she  was  squandering 
so  lavishly. 

"It's  an  old  maid's  whim,  and  that's  all  you  can  say 
about  it,"  declared  Mrs.  Brown,  with  a  sneer.  "  She  al- 
ways was  a  flighty  little  thing,  and  she'll  get  sick  enough 
of  it.  Jenny  thinks  it's  heaven.  To  hear  that  girl  talk, 
you'd  suppose  she  never  had  had  anything  done  for  her  in 
her  life  ;  and  I  a  slaving  for  years  to  take  care  of  her —  the 
ungrateful  girl ! " 

It  was  so  neat  and  delightful,  with  its  clean,  handsomely- 
laid  floors  and  simple  furniture.  Jessie  and  Madge  had 
contributed  some  pictures,  and  Eleanor  some  illuminated 
texts,  framed  in  different  rustic  styles.  Nothing  cold,  or 
prim,  or  unlike  a  pleasant,  cheerful  home. 

Miss  Hetty  discussed  the  organization  with  Mr.  Ashbnr- 
ton  and  his  son  in-law,  Mr.  Maurice,  and  Mr.  Wyverne, 
and  finally  left  it  in  their  hands  to  be  concluded.  When 
all  expenses  were  paid,  she  found  that  she  had  thirteen 
thousand  instead  of  twelve,  and  Mr.  Graham  had  promised 
to  invest  it  in  the  best  manner  possible.  Besides  this, 
there  would  be  an  income  of  five  hundred  and  sixty  dol- 
lars, and  probably  some  gifts. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  291 

"And  now  that  we  have  seen  Miss  Hetty  safely  through, 
we  may  venture  upon  a  little  pleasure  oui'selves,"  said  Mr 
Graham.  "  Jessie  and  Madge  both  look  as  if  they  needed 
a  holiday." 

Madge  found  all  her  objections  overruled  this  time,  and 
she  really  could  do  nothing  but  consent.  Eleanor  had  hei 
wardrobe  in  nicest  order,  Mrs.  Ashburton  promised  to  be 
devoted  to  Miss  Hetty's  establishment,  and  Philip  insisted 
So  one  morning  the  trio  started  amid  a  shower  of  fond 
and  cordial  farewells. 

Over  lakes  and  rivers,  prairies  like  a  boundless  sea,  vast 
desert  solitudes,  wild,  grand  mountain  tracts,  reaches  of 
forest  where  the  sound  of  their  own  voices  startled  them. 
Glowing,  brilliant  beauty  on  every  side,  touched  with 
fathomless  mystery  —  for  who  can  translate  all  the  secrets 
God's  finger  has  written  on  mountain-tops,  or  in  the  cool, 
fragrant  depths  of  clustering  valleys  ?  Something  to  stir 
their  souls  with  reverent  emotions,  to  quicken  life  in  their 
pulses,  and  kindle  worship  in  their  hearts —  to  re  create,  aa 
it  were. 


292  HOME  NOOK,   OB 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FLOATING   OUT. 

MAJ>OB  returned  almost  as  brilliant  as  the  glow  of  the 
autumnal  sun  that  had  ripened  her  cheek  with  its  mellow 
tint  —  stronger  in  soul  and  body,  fuller,  deeper,  and  richer 
in  all  the  genial  elements  that  form  a  true  woman.  The 
crudeness  of  girlhood  had  parted  like  the  outside  huski 
and  disclosed  the  rare  soul,  purified  by  the  vigils  of  pain, 
its  suffering,  its  trials.  These  had  lifted  her  out  of  herself. 
The  vital  pith  of  true  earnest  endeavor,  had  proved  a 
strong  tower  in  the  day  of  weakness,  when  the  soul,  in  the 
anguish  of  solitude,  had  prayed  to  have  the  cup  pass  from 
her  lips.  She  had  come  to  that  better  dawn  when  she 
could  say,  "  Not  my  will,  but  thine." 

Clement  was  on  his  return,  or  at  least  had  left  hia 
post,  after  seven  years  of  assiduous  labor.  He  was  not 
a  rich  man,  but  he  had  realized  sufficient  to  repurchase 
Home  Nook  and  to  afford  him  a  fair  start  in  life.  He  in- 
tended to  take  an  overland  trip  through  Europe,  reaching 
home  some  time  during  the  next  summer.  Now  that  it 
was  past,  the  years  seemed  like  a  dream.  God  had  merci- 
fully kept  them  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  although 
the  storms  had  gone  by,  they  were  not  overwhelmed. 

A  busy,  delightful  winter  it  had  been  at  Home  Nook. 
Eleanor  had  made  some  advancement  in  her  profession 
with  both  profit  and  honor.  Greta  was  fast  outgrowing 
babyhood  —  a  rather  grave  little  girl,  still  extravagantly 
fond  of  her  grandfather.  Shy  beyond  the  precincts  of  her 
own  family,  yet  Mr.  Wyverne  and  "aunty  Clara"  were 
especial  favorites  with  her.  She  sometimes  bpent  whole 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  293 

days  at  the  cottage.  Miss  Wyverne  had  a  tender  little 
corner  in  her  heart  for  all  children,  but  this  one  appeared 
strangely  near. 

But  she  was  no  longer  the  baby  of  the  household. 
Jessie's  little  boy  had  usurped  that  place.  A  large,  fair, 
grand  specimen  of  babyhood,  after  the  most  approved 
fashion  —  laughing  and  crowing  if  he  caught  sight  of  a 
smile,  or  heard  the  sound  of  a  well-known  voice. 

Madge  had  taken  Jessie's  place  in  Miss  Hetty's  Homo, 
and  in  some  of  her  other  good  works  —  an  active,  ener- 
getic girl,  the  sharp  corners  toned  to  softness,  the  eager 
impatience  mellowed  into  ripe  sweetness,  and  occasional 
flashes  of  the  old  brightness  cropping  out. 

There  had  been  some  changes  in  the  Home  already. 
The  poor  palsied  creature  drifted  peacefully  out  on  the 
wide  ocean  of  Eternity,  one  night,  and  had  her  stammer- 
ing tongue  loosened  by  angels.  Two  others  had  been 
admitted,  and  all  was  going  prosperously.  A  few  gener- 
ous, unknown  gifts  had  been  sent  to  Miss  Hetty,  who  was 
brisk  and  eager,  and  nowise  disheartened  in  her  good 
work. 

She  found  a  strong  ally,  indeed,  in  Catharine  Day,  a 
faithful  and  efficient  worker,  whose  nerves  were  steel,  and 
whose  limbs  seemed  to  be  iron.  Now  and  then  she  took 
up  Jenny  Yates  as  if  she  had  been  a  baby,  and  carried  her 
to  Mrs.  Farrand's  room,  for  the  sake  of  the  change.  Mr. 
Maurice  came  in  every  week  to  hold  a  religious  service, 
and  often  of  an  evening  Mr.  Wyverne  would  go  with  a 
few  choice  spirits  to  comfort  the  weary  souls  with  grand 
and  tender  old  hymns  —  a  song  in  the  night,  indeed. 

"  I  never  thought  there  could  be  anything  quite  30  near 
to  heaven  on  earth,"  said  Jenny  Yates.  "  Sometimes  I  lie 
here  and  cry  out  of  pure  thankfulness,  my  heart  seems  to 
be  so  full.  Not  that  I'm  ungrateful  to  sister,  who  did  the 
best  she  could  with  all  her  children,  but  more  grateful  to 
God,  who  put  this  in  Miss  Hetty's  heart.  I  used  to  pray 


294  HOME   NOOK,  OB 

daily  to  be  taken  out  of  the  world,  but  now  I'm  quite 
content  to  wait  God's  time.  The  pain  doesn't  seem  half 
so  hard  to  bear." 

Madge,  looking  at  the  wan,  white  face,  fancied  there 
would  be  another  "  call "  before  many  months. 

Granny  Bristow  was  the  happiest  of  the  happy.  She 
went  groping  and  stumbling  about,  with  a  cheerful  chirrup 
for  every  mishap,  and  nothing  delighted  her  so  much  as  to 
be  allowed  to  do  a  little  work. 

Madge  stood  by  the  window  of  her  mother's  room,  one 
afternoon,  watching  the  two  figures  who  came  slowly  up 
the  broad  walk,  talking  earnestly.  When  they  reached 
the  steps,  she  ran  down  ;  but  on  the  stairs  she  met  Master 
Ward,  in  the  arms  of  his  nurse ;  so  she  had  to  stop  and 
hear  him  laugh. 

The  hall  door  opened,  and  Eleanor  entered  alone. 

"  O I "  in  a  disappointed  tone.  "  Why  didn't  Mr.  Wy- 
verne  come  in  ?  " 

There  was  another  "  window  "  under  consideration,  and 
Madge  was  impatient  to  hear  ever  so  small  a  fragment  of 
news. 

Eleanor  said  something  just  under  her  breath.  Her 
face  was  flushed  and  her  eyes  full  of  tears.  She  passed 
Madge  swiftly  and  ran  up  stairs. 

The  young  girl  went  into  the  library  to  pet  her  flowers 
a  moment,  picked  up  a  pair  of  gloves  which  she  had  left 
lying  upon  the  table,  and  studied  the  aspects  of  the  weath- 
er in  a  dreamy  fashion. 

Ten  minutes  perhaps  elapsed  before  she  returned.  Elea- 
nor sat  on  her  mother's  footstool,  her  face  half  hidden  on 
the  friendly  shoulder  bowed  for  her  support. 

"  O,  Nelly,"  exclaimed  Madge,  "  what  has  happened  ? 
Or  if  I  interrupt  —  " 

Eleanor  stretched  out  her  hand,  and  Madge  drew  near. 

"  O,  Madge,  my  darling,  if  it  had  only  been  you  1"  sh« 
Ittered,  tremulously,  with  a  sob  in  her  voice. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY. 

"If  what  had  been ?"  asked  Madge,  in  surprise. 

For  a  moment  or  two  there  was  silence.  Mrs.  Ashbur 
ton  looked  exceedingly  distressed. 

"1  think  I  can  guess,"  began  Madge,  slowly.  "It  is 
about  Mr.  Wyverne." 

Still  there  was  no  answer. 

"He  loves  you;"  with  a  quiver  of  joy  in  her  voice. 

"If  it  had  not  been!" 

"Why,  Nelly?"  Madge  knelt  beside  her  and  twined 
ner  arm  around  the  drooping  form.  "  He  is  a  noble,  gen- 
erous, and  refined  gentleman,  with  a  high,  tender,  and 
chivalrous  soul.  I  suspected  it  when  Jessie  and  I  returned 
from  the  West." 

"  How  blind  I  have  been  1  But  then  mamma  has  shared 
the  same  —  hope." 

"  That  he  cared  for  me  ?  " 

Madge's  face  was  scarlet. 

"  Why  not?    You  like  and  approve  him." 

"  But  —  Mamma,  Nelly,  I  think  this  is  just  right.  It 
has  given  me  a  little  secret  joy  all  the  time.  Why  should 
not  Nelly  be  happy  with  a  man  so  eminently  fitted  for 
her  ?  Their  tastes,  feelings,  and  acquirements  harmonize 
BO  perfectly!  for  Mr.  Wyverne  has  none  of  the  narrow 
jealousy  one  often  finds  in  musical  people.  He  is  not 
rich,  to  be  sure ;  but  he  is  a  fine  musician,  and  is  gaining 
fame  as  a  composer.  But  we  have  learned  that  happiness 
does  not  depend  upon  wealth." 

"  He  always  appeared  fond  of  you,  I  thought." 

"  Nonsense ! "  and  Madge  laughed.  "  He  is  interested 
in  what  he  calls  my  genius;  but  endless  discussion  on 
stained-glass  windows,  and  all  their  belongings,  is  not 
love.  He  likes  us  all,  especially  little  Greta.  O,  Nelly,  it 
is  just  right,  unless  you  have  some  scruples  about  second 
marriages." 

Eleanor's  face  flushed  a  painful  crimson. 

"Mamma,  persuade  her.  Miss  Wyverne  loves  her  like  a 
sister  already.  Greta  could  never  have  a  tenderer  father.' 


296  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Eleanor  rose.  "It  has  surprised  and  bewildered  me  so 
much  !"  she  said,  slowly.  "I  had  never  even  thought  of 
it.  I  feel  as  if  I  was  hardly  worthy  of  such  boundless 
trust,  such  loyal  regard." 

Greta  ran  through  the  hall  calling  "Mamma!"  and 
Eleanor  went  out  to  meet  her  child,  taking  her  off  to  her 
own  room.  Madge  studied  her  mother  with  an  amused 
smile,  asking  presently,  — 

"Are  you  disappointed  because  Mr.  Wyverne  has 
chosen  the  one  who  suited  him  best?" 

"  My  dear,  not  that  exactly,"  said  her  mother,  in  some 
perplexity. 

Madge  took  the  vacated  seat  and  leaned  upon  her 
mother's  knee. 

"  Have  you  any  scruples  as  to  my  remaining  a  spin- 
ster?" she  asked,  almost  gayly. 

"  Madge,"  in  a  half  sad,  uncertain  tone,  "  your  happi- 
ness must  always  be  my  first  desire." 

"Do  you  think  me  unhappy?" 

There  was  a  sweet  seriousness  in  her  voice. 

"  We  have  never  spoken  of  this  since  that  fatal  day. 
Madge,  you  have  kept  your  secret  locked  in  your  own 
soul,  and  one  could  only  suspect  your  pangs.  That  they 
have  been  deep,  I  know ;  that  you  will  forget,  I  trust." 

"It  was  a  very,  very  hard  fight,  mamma;"  and  Madge 
hid  her  face,  while  her  voice  faltered  a  little.  "I  had 
come  to  depend  upon  him  for  so  much  happiness  and 
comfort  1  I  endured  my  toil  and  privations  with  a  proud, 
courageous  spirit,  dreaming  how  they  would  be  crowned 
at  last.  I  did  love  him.  All  that  part  of  my  heart  seems 
like  something  laid  away  in  the  grave,  sacredly,  never  to 
be  disturbed." 

"  My  darling  —  " 

"  Let  me  go  on,"  pursued  the  soft,  clear  voice.  "  I  am 
no  weak,  love-sick  girl.  There  was  a  long  while  when  it 
teemed  to  me  that  the  glory  had  faded  out  of  heaven 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  297 

and  earth,  when  I  almost  lost  sight  of  God ;  but  in  hia 
great  mercy  he  brought  me  back,  and  showed  me  that '  no 
man  liveth  unto  himself,  and  no  man  dieth  unto  himself.' 
I  found  my  work  again,  and  my  worship.  When  I  dropped 
all  vain  striving  and  self-delusion,  all  clinging  to  idols  of 
men's  hands,  God  reached  out  his,  and  drew  me  to  the 
light.  Since  then  I  have  been  content,  happy." 

"  And  you  have  forgotten  —  " 

Mrs.  Ashburton  raised  her  child's  face,  and  studied  it 
tenderly. 

"There  are  some  things  that  never  can  be  forgotten, 
mamma ;"  with  the  voice  still  soft  and  clear.  "  But  I  feel 
now  that  the  wrong  was  very  deep.  He  sinned  against 
me  bitterly;  let  me  go  on  loving  and  trusting  when  he 
was  growing  into  another  affection ;  for  I  will  not  think 
so  meanly  of  him  as  to  suppose  he  was  won  by  wealth.  I 
put  him  out  of  my  life  because  he  is  no  longer  worthy 
to  remain  in  it,  and  have  learned  to  pass  him  by  as  a 
stranger.  But  you,  dear,  and  papa  must  accept  the  offer- 
ing that  I  shall  strive  to  render  purer  and  better  each 
day.  I  will  not  say  now  that  I  never  shall  marry,  but  it 
will  be  a  long  while  before  I  can  dream  any  new  dreams. 
So  I  am  glad  it  was  Nelly,  and  not  I,  whom  Mr.  Wy- 
verne  fancied.  You  will  need  a  home-daughter  in  the 
years  to  come,  and  I  shall  be  here  to  fill  the  place.  Miss 
Wyverne  lives  a  good,  sweet,  wholesome  life,  and  I  am 
sure  that  dear  Hetty  Bright  is  worthy  to  be  ranked  the 
foremost  among  women.  So  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  quite 
wasted  1 " 

She  raised  her  fearless  eyes,  shining  with  a  few  stray 
tears.  There  were  strength,  and  tenderness,  and  honor, 
and  the  deeper  loyalty  to  God,  who  was  to  be  first  and 
best  in  all  the  years  to  come. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  kissed  the  warm,  bright  lips.  No  pale 
•hadows  lurked  about  the  face  now. 

"  So  we  shall  be  very  happy,  mamma." 


£98  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

Eleanor  revolved  her  question  in  sore  perplexity  — 
especially  as  the  knowledge  grew  upon  her  that  her  in- 
most  heart  was  not  wholly  indifferent  to  the  man  who  had 
thus  hastily  bespoken  her  warmest  regard.  The  thought 
of  a  second  marriage  had  never  crossed  her  mind.  It 
aeemed  so  much  more  probable  that  she  would  be  the 
stay  and  solace  of  her  parents'  declining  years,  and  these 
words  had  disturbed  the  tranquil  sources  of  quiet  life. 

But  if  Mr.  Wyverne  could  not  be  a  lover,  he  insisted 
upon  a  friend's  place  in  the  household.  With  fine  tact 
he  managed  to  render  Eleanor  at  ease  with  him  once 
more,  and  a  casual  observer  would  hardly  suspect  that  a 
word  had  been  uttered. 

Yet  Eleanor  felt  that  the  current  was  against  her. 
Every  one  appeared  to  acknowledge  his  right  in  a  tacit 
manner.  She  could  hardly  hope  to  find  a  person  whose 
tastes  and  requirements  harmonized  more  perfectly  with 
hers.  She  had  come  to  the  deeper  knowledge  of  her 
needs,  her  sources  of  strength  and  weakness.  The  one 
found  a  sure  support  in  his  clear,  steady  soul ;  the  other 
seemed  to  clasp  tendrils  with  what  was  most  noble  and 
manly  in  him.  One  of  the  blessed  and  satisfactory  lives 
opened  before  her,  whose  glory  would  blot  out  that  imper- 
fect, mistaken  past.  But  still  she  would  wait. 

So  another  spring  began  to  dawn  over  them.  Clement 
would  be  home  in  the  summer,  and  in  the  ensuing  autumn 
Mr.  Graham  purposed  to  set  up  a  household  altar  of  his 
own  in  the  city,  since  their  number  had  swelled  from  two 
to  four,  and  he  begged  that  they  would  all  consider  it  a 
second  home. 

Madge  was  busy  enough  with  her  duties  and  the  two 
babies,  though  Greta  was  oftener  a  companion.  She  man- 
aged to  visit  Miss  Hetty  nearly  every  day,  and  poor  Jenny 
Yates  used  to  watch  with  a  strange  longing  for  the  light, 
familiar  step  and  breezy  voice,  like  a  waft  of  air  fresh  from 
the  upland. 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  299 

Paler,  thinner,  a  little  weaker  every  day,  a  shortness  of 
breath,  a  feebler  clasp  of  the  fingers,  and  a  touch  of  some- 
thing strangely  sweet,  yet  awesome,  in  the  smile,  a  flutter 
hovering  in  the  faint,  wandering  tones. 

Madge  kept  flowers  in  her  room,  and  brought  her  many 
delicacies.  She  did  not  think  it  tiresome  to  listen  or  to 
talk,  though  the  subject  might  be  simple  and  the  ideas 
vague  or  unformed. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  she  asked,  one  evening,  as  the  wistful  eyes 
followed  her  about,  an  unexpressed  longing  in  their  depth. 

"  I  hate  to  have  you  go,  Miss  Ashburton.  You  never 
staid  here  all  night  —  did  you  ?  " 

"  Not  since  —  it  has  been  altered." 

"Did  you  before?" 

"  O,  yes  —  once.  I  made  a  visit  here  when  I  was  hard- 
ly grown,  a  year  after  we  left  Home  Nook.  And  I  slept 
in  this  room  —  my  sister  Jessie  and  I." 

"  Did  you  ?  "  with  a  faint,  pleased  smile.  "  How  lovely 
it  must  have  been  to  come  back,  Miss  Ashburton ! " 

There  had  been  mingled  pleasure  and  pain  in  the  return 
at  first,  and  one  of  the  old  pangs,  rarely  felt  now,  crossed 
Madge's  heart. 

"  For  it  is  so  beautiful  even  here !  No  one  but  God 
could  have  led  Miss  Hetty  to  open  her  house  and  take  in 
the  poor  and  miserable.  I  have  had  such  peaceful  days 
here  !  Miss  Ashburton  —  do  you  think  —  that  the  end 
may  be  near?" 

«O,  Jenny!" 

"  I  wonder  a  little  about  it  on  days  like  this  when  I  have 
no  pain  —  especially  since  the  spring  has  come  in.  Every 
night  I  seem  a  little  weaker,  and  heaven  closes  around  me 
as  the  twilight  drops  down.  I've  never  done  anything  for 
God  —  " 

"Except  to  bear  this  long,  wearisome  sickness  pa- 
tiently." 

"I  am  afraid  I  have  not  always.    It  does  not  seem 


800  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

much  virtue  to  be  patient  in  a  place  like  this,  where  everj 
one  has  a  smile  and  a  kind  word  for  you.  I  used  to  give 
poor  Mary  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  longing  for  things  that 
I  could  not  have.  She  didn't  want  Mr.  Maurice  to  come, 
you  know,  and  the  singing  and  praying  fretted  her.  May- 
be it  does  seem  foolish,  when  one  is  strong  and  well,  and 
has  so  much  work  to  do ;  but  I  always  loved  it.  You'll 
tell  her  some  time  that  I  was  sorry  for  every  quick  word, 
and  for  all  that  looked  like  ingratitude." 

"My  dear  girl,  yes.  I  am  glad  that  you  feel  so 
tranquil." 

"  Why  shouldn't  I  ?  God  has  been  so  good  to  me  at 
the  last !  If  Miss  Hetty  never  did  anything  else,  her  care 
of  me  would  be  enough.  O,  Miss  Ashburton,  since  I  have 
enjoyed  this  comfort,  I've  thanked  God  daily  that  he  has 
put  it  in  the  hearts  of  some  to  care  for  the  sick  and  the 
needy.  They  cannot  have  much  rest  in  their  own  forlorn 
homes." 

"  Yes,  Miss  Hetty's  idea  was  worthy  of  her  generous 
heart.  No  one  could  have  made  a  wiser  or  better  use  of  a 
fortune." 

a  O,  Miss  Ashburton,  if  you  only  wouldn't  go  I " 

The  eyes  were  full  of  pleading  light. 

Madge  smiled.     "  Do  you  want  me  to  stay  so  much  ?" 

"I  feel  as  if  I  didn't  want  you  to  go  away  to-night. 
You  seem  like  a  bit  of  sunshine  after  the  day  is  done,  you 
are  so  bright  and  sweet.  And  somehow  — " 

Madge  glanced  at  the  worn  face.  Four  and  twenty  — 
only  a  trifle  older  than  herself.  What  had  her  griefs,  and 
sorrows,  and  wounds  been,  compared  with  these  weary 
years?  Should  she  grudge  one  night  to  this  poor  girl  ? 

"  I  will  stay  if  you  desire  it,  Jenny." 

a  O,  thank  you  !  thank  you  ! " 

By  and  by,  Catharine  brought  up  some  supper.  Jenny 
fancied  that  she  did  not  want  any,  but  Madge  fed  her  a 
little  jelly.  Then  she  went  down  herself  and  took  tea 
with  Miss  Hetty. 


THE  CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  801 

"  Catharine  thinks  Jenny  will  not  last  much  longer." 

Madge  started.  Death  was  a  vague  idea  to  her  of 
Bomething  that  might  happen  days  hence. 

"But  the  poor  child  is  ready  any  moment.  I  never 
saw  any  one  so  grateful,  and  I  am  so  glad  she  was  brought 
here.  Sick  people  cannot  have  many  comforts  in  such 
poor  homes,  even  when  those  around  them  do  their  bestj 
and  Mrs.  Brown  is  an  untidy  termagant.  She  was  so 
afraid  to  have  Jenny  dependent  on  charity,  and  yet  she 
has  never  sent  her  a  sixpence  worth  since  she  has  been 
here.  "Not  that  I  care,  though  ; "  with  an  odd  smile. 

Yet  for  all  this  kindness,  Mrs.  Brown  was  continually 
saying  ungracious  things  about  the  "  old  maid's  ruin,"  as 
she  termed  it.  "  Miss  Hetty  looked  fine,  sticking  herself 
up  for  a  public  benefactor.  It  was  a  great  thing  to  have 
so  much  money  that  you  didn't  know  what  to  do  with  it." 

Miss  Hetty  did  not  mind  that,  nor  sundry  other  un- 
friendly criticisms.  Here  were  work,  duty,  and  the  reward 
of  a  good  conscience.  Better  far  than  be  setting  up  for 
fine  ladyhood  and  ease,  when  that  would  be  quite  foreign 
to  her  nature. 

Madge  went  up  to  Jenny  presently.  Through  the  soft 
May  twilight  they  talked  of  the  other  country,  of  the  love 
that  purifies  and  exalts,  giving  courage  to  the  trembling 
soul  as  it  nears  the  solemn  shore.  Mrs.  Farrand  came  in, 
and  the  two  sang  afterwards  —  dear  old  hymns  that  make 
melody  at  the  very  gate  of  heaven. 

"  I  am  going  to  sleep  in  the  next  room,  Miss  Ashbur- 
ton,"  said  Catharine.  "  Miss  Hetty  says  that  by  and  by 
you  had  better  come  down  with  her." 

"  When  I  am  tired,"  returned  Madge. 

Jenny  slipped  the  wasted  fingers  within  those  so  firm 
and  warm.  Darker  grew  the  night  for  a  while,  and  then 
the  moon  began  to  thread  her  path  among  the  stars 
There  was  no  continuous  talking  now,  but  fragments  of 
sentences  and  precious  promises. 


302  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

And  through  the  pauses  some  old  remembrance! 
thronged  to  Madge's  busy  brain.  How  long  ago  it  seemed 
since  she  was  the  happy  girl  who  had  slumbered  here  so 
unconsciously !  What  had  God  meant  by  giving  her  a  brief 
taste  of  the  cup  of  joy?  That  she  should  learn  how  many 
things  some  souls  miss  forever  —  how  that,  in  some  lives, 
there  is  no  spring  and  no  summer?  Perhaps.  To  turn 
the  wild,  untrained  blossoms  into  tender  graces,  to  take 
away  the  support  to  which  she  might  cling,  BO  that,  liko 
the  palm,  she  could  grow  into  steady  self-reliance. 

Jenny  dozed  quietly.  Madge  at  length  leaned  her  head 
over  on  the  pillow  in  a  vague,  dreamy  mood.  Once  she 
had  fancied  her  work  almost  done,  and  would  have  been 
content  to  die  —  now  she  was  glad  to  live.  The  world 
was  bright  and  busy  again. 

She  started  suddenly.     Jenny  clasped  her  hand  tighter. 

"O,"  she  murmured,  "don't  leave  me!  I  want  you  to 
go  clear  to  heaven's  gate.  '  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out.' " 

"  It  is  the  invitation  of  the  King  of  Glory." 

«  Yes." 

There  was  a  little  shudder,  a  strange  clinging  to  the 
brave,  steady  hand.  Madge  bent  over  and  pressed  her 
lips  to  the  forenead.  After  that,  a  kind  of  awesome,  mid  • 
night  silence. 

Catharine,  hearing  the  stir,  came  in  presently. 

"  Had  you  not  better  go  down  to  Miss  Hetty  ? "  she 
whispered,  softly. 

"•  No,  I  promised  to  stay.  She  is  quiet,  and  has  not  ap- 
peared to  suffer  any." 

"  She  will  never  suffer  again." 

As  Madge  raised  her  hand  in  surprise,  the  nerveless 
fingers  slipped  away.  And  she  knew  then  that  Jenny  had 
passed  over  the  river.  All  the  sting  of  pain  and  sin  had 
been  taken  out  of  this  last  moment. 

"Unto  God  we  commend  her,"  said  Catharine,  gentlj 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  303 

raising  Madge.  "  Go  down  to  Miss  Hetty,  but  do  not 
disturb  any  one  else." 

The  moonlight  was  streaming  in  all  the  windows.  How 
wide  and  lonesome  the  world  seemed  for  the  sake  of  the 
one  soul  which  had  gone  out  of  it! 

Miss  Hetty  took  her  in  and  soothed  the  throbbing 
pulses,  gathering  her  to  her  fond,  capacious  heart.  For  the 
whole  world  was  of  kin  to  her  now,  and  children  would 
praise  her  who  had  never  called  her  mother.  Is  the  love 
of  such  women  wasted  ?  Is  their  household  a  failure  ? 

They  missed  Jenny  Yates  sadly.  Her  exceeding  pa- 
tience and  thankfulness  had  seemed  to  make  a  sunny  spot 
in  the  house.  Granny  Bristow  mourned  her  like  a  child 
—  perhaps  more  deeply  than  her  own  sister. 

"  One  gets  so  attached  to  them,"  said  Miss  Hetty,  be- 
tween a  sob  and  a  smile,  "  that  one  hates  to  let  them  go. 
But  with  all  our  eflforts,  we  can  never  quite  make  a 
heaven." 

If  we  could,  we  should  hardly  need  the  other  country. 
And  therefore  our  works  and  affections  here  must  needs 
be  imperfect. 


304  HOME  NOOK,  OB 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

BETWEEN    TWO. 

IT  was  a  lovely  June  morning.  Madge  Ashburton  had 
brought  the  roses  to  her  cheeks  by  her  work  among  the 
flowers,  though  they  were  seldom  missing  now.  Her 
father  enjoyed  this  companionship  so  much  —  the  sights 
and  sounds,  the  fragrance  and  beauty,  and  the  bright  face 
of  his  darling !  It  was  such  a  blessed  thing  to  have  the 
world  opening  before  him!  Now  and  then  he  would 
pause  in  some  labor  of  love  and  bow  his  head  reverently, 
remembering  the  old  apostolic  injunction,  "  In  everything 
give  thanks." 

A  strange  man  came  up  the  walk,  looking  about  a  little 
uncertainly. 

"  Can  I  see  Miss  Madge  Ashburton  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  am  Miss  Ashburton,"  was  the  answer. 

"I  was  told  to  deliver  this  note  into  your  hands." 

She  pulled  off  her  garden-glove,  and  took  the  dainty 
missive  with  its  creamy  envelope  and  antique  monogram. 

"  Do  you  wish  an  answer  ?  " 

u  No,  I  think  not.  I  was  just  to  give  it  to  you ; "  and 
the  man  bowed. 

«  Very  well." 

She  watched  him  as  he  wound  round  in  the  line  of  the 
green,  overhanging  shrubbery. 

"A  stylish  invitation,  papa,"  she  said,  laughingly.  "We 
are  quite  grand  again." 

But  she  ran  up  stairs  to  wash  her  hands  and  study  tn« 
lotters  a  little  while.  It  is  so  pleasant  to  wonder  a  momeut 
what  the  secret  is  that  you  hold  in  your  hand  I 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  305 

A  very  brief  note,  with  a  signature  that  turned  Madge's 
bright  face  ashen  pale  —  "  May  Westlake."  The  words 
blurred  together  before  her  eyes. 

"  Will  Madge  Ashburton,  who  has  pity  upon  all  poor, 
sick,  and  unfortunate  souls,  come  to  one  who  needs  her 
sorely,  who  cries  unto  her  out  of  the  depths  of  anguish  ? 

"MAT  WESTLAKE." 

For  many  minutes  the  request  seemed  to  signify  nothing 
to  her  as  it  floated  to  her  brain.  Was  it  real  ?  Why  did 
May  Westlake,  in  the  midst  of  her  luxury  and  happiness, 
need  her  f  She  had  taken  the  love  while  Madge  sat  in 
the  shadow. 

Then  she  rose  and  went  to  her  mother. 

"  I  do  not  seem  to  understand  it,"  she  said,  huskily. 
"  Why  should  she  want  me  ?  " 

Mrs.  Ashburton's  first  feeling  was  deep  regret  that  the 
current  of  her  daughter's  life,  growing  so  serene,  should 
be  broken  up  again  by  any  tumultuous  waves.  Then  her 
natural  kindliness  and  pity  conquered. 

"  She  does  want  you,  it  seems,  and  I  suppose  you  can 
hardly  refuse,"  said  the  mother,  with  a  sigh. 

"  You  think  I  must  go  then  ?  "  as  if  half  hoping  for  sorae 
reprieve. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  studied  the  note.  The  hand  that  penned 
it  was  tremulous  with  mental  distress  or  physical  weak 
ness.  Yet  why  should  she  ask  this  hard  thing  ? 

"  O,  mamma,  I  cannot ! "  and  Madge  buried  her  face  on 
her  mother's  bosom.  "  It  is  too  much  ! " 

Mrs.  Ashburton  was  in  a  sore  strait.  It  was  a  cruel  re- 
quest. Yet  what  if  it  were  sickness  unto  death  ? 

"  Tell  me  to  stay.  She  has  so  much  —  all !  What  <sa*» 
she  want  of  my  peace  ?  " 

"  My  darling !  God  give  you  strength  to  decide,"  the 
mother  faltered. 

« IN  it  a  duty?" 

20 


806  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"  I  dare  not  say  that  it  is  not.     If  she  should  be  ill  —  * 

"  O,  what  could  I  say  ?  Does  God  see  all  ?  Is  h  His 
work  ?  For  if  it  is,  I  dare  not  refuse." 

Madge  raised  her  head,  but  her  whole  frame  trembled 
violently.  She  gave  her  mother  one  look  of  wordless 
pathos.  Through  all  the  dreary  time  of  trial  no  pang  had 
been  quite  so  bitter. 

"  Perhaps  it  would  be  best." 

The  words  were  wrung  from  Mrs.  Ashburton  reluctantly 

"  I  cannot  realize  it.  May  Westlake,  with  everything  at 
her  feet,  praying  to  me,  asking  this  pitiful  favor !  And  I 
going  in  bonds  as  it  were,  knowing  not  what  may  befall 
me." 

They  parted  quivering  fingers,  and  Madge  went  to  her 
room.  Some  impulse  stronger  than  her  pain  urged  her 
forward.  But,  after  she  had  made  herself  ready,  she  re- 
turned to  her  mother  with  an  undecided  expression  still 
upon  her  face,  and  a  strange  thinking  in  her  eyes. 

"My  darling,"  Mrs.  Ashburton  said,  " I  cannot  let  you 
go  without  a  word  of  warning.  It  may  be  that  this  young 
wife  has  failed  to  fill  the  heart  of  a  husband,  who,  perhaps, 
is  swayed  by  variable  moods.  Women  are  often  unwit- 
tingly cruel  to  each  other  in  these  cases,  keeping  to  the 
strict  letter  of  the  law,  but  losing  sight  of  the  spirit.  Be 
merciful  to  her.  In  any  event,  it  is  too  late  even  for 
friendship." 

"  I  shall  not  see  him  at  all,"  Madge  returned,  with  a 
quivering  voice. 

"  That  is  right.    God  bless  you  on  your  mission." 

Jessie  and  the  baby  had  been  out  for  an  airing;  so,  as  the 
carriage  was  waiting,  Madge  sprang  in  and  gave  her  orders 
in  a  low  tone. 

It  seemed  only  a  moment  before  they  reached  their  des« 
tination,  and  the  young  girl  summoned  all  her  presence  of 
mind  and  self-reliance. 

The  Westlakes  had  been  home  very  little  since  th« 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  807 

Ashburtons'  return  to  Riverside.  Young  Mrs.  Westlake 
had  always  been  delicate,  and  the  birth  of  a  child  had 
not  seemed  to  improve  her  health.  Most  of  the  previous 
winter  had  been  spent  in  Cuba.  They  still  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  very  gay,  although  society  at  Riverside 
saw  but  little  of  them. 

Madge  was  ushered  through  the  spacious  hall  and  up  the 
wide  staircase,  more  elegant  in  their  appointments  than  in 
the  old  days  when  she  had  first  known  them. 

The  servant  opened  the  door  without  a  word,  and  Madge, 
with  a  little  awkward  feeling,  walked  in  unheralded.  Pil- 
lowed in  a  reclining  chair  was  a  face  and  figure  that 
startled  her  painfully  —  attenuated  to  the  last  degree,  the 
cheeks  blazing  with  an  unwholesome  scarlet,  the  eyes 
sunken  and  feverish,  and  the  thin  fingers  shaking  as  in  an 
ague  fit. 

"  O,  Miss  Ashburton  1 " 

There  could  hardly  have  been  a  greater  contrast  — 
Madge  in  the  bloom  of  perfect  health,  the  sweet,  gracious 
nobleness  in  her  face  more  captivating  than  any  beauty  ; 
her  full,  erect  figure,  and  the  poise  of  the  head  instinct  with 
dignity;  the  other  wasted,  anxious,  trembling  on  the  very 
verge  of  the  grave,  and  still  gasping  frantically  at  the  un- 
fulfilled promise  of  life. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come !  I  could  not  die  with- 
out—" 

She  was  quivering  in  every  pulse  with  excitement. 
Madge  was  deeply  distressed. 

"  Will  you  sit  down  here  beside  me  ?  First  take  off 
your  hat.  Ah !  how  well  and  brilliant ! " 

a  I  am  sorry  to  find  you  — "  and  then  Madge  paused 
from  delicacy. 

"  So  near  the  grave !    I  have  been  fighting  it  off  foi 
years.     O,  it  is  cruel  to  die  when  one  has  —  everything 
Does  not  God  ever  answer  prayer  ?  " 

"Not  always  in  our  way,"  replied   Madge,  in  a  low 


308  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

sad  tone.  She,  too,  could  have  prayed  with  her  whole 
soul  that  this  cup  might  pass. 

"  I  suppose  I  must  die ;  but  it  is  so  hard !  so  hard  !  I 
heard  about  your  staying  with  that  poor  Jenny  Yates  on 
the  last  night.  Was  it  terrible  ?  " 

"Not  her  death,"  returned  Madge,  in  a  clear,  tender 
voice. 

tt  I  have  never  cared  about  heaven.  Somehow  it  seetis 
BO  far  off  and  cold.  I  try  to  pray,  yet  the  one  cry  more 
earnest  than  all  is,  Life,  life !  But  it  cannot  be." 

She  turned  her  face  wearily  on  the  pillow,  and  Madge 
saw  the  glitter  of  tears. 

"  I  suppose  I  ought  to  have  been  more  careful,  and  kept 
my  strength.  There  never  was  much  of  it.  O,  how  do 
people  become  resigned  to  death  ?  " 

Madge  could  not  trust  her  voice  to  answer  the  pitiful 
cry,  but  she  took  May's  little  hot  hand  in  hers. 

UO,  Madge  !  we  used  to  be  friends,  you  know.  I  believe 
I  always  loved  Jessie  best,  because  another  cared  for  you, 
and  I  was  miserably  jealous.  But  you  are  so  good  to  — 
to  everybody,  that  I  fancied  you  might  pity  me  a  little." 

"Do  you  need  my  pity?"  was  the  almost  involuntary 
question. 

"  Something  else  as  well  —  forgiveness." 

"  Let  the  past  be  forgotten,  if  anything  in  it  troubles 
you,"  said  Madge,  in  a  tremulous,  but  sweet  tone. 

"  I  want  to  talk  about  it.  I  have  been  vain,  and  frivo- 
lous, and  weak,  and  perhaps  I  should  have  committed  the 
same  sin  if  I  had  thought  of  it  as  possible.  I  was  never 
very  good,  or  noble,  or  unselfish,  and  when  I  think  of  you 
all  at  Home  Nook,  and  how  you  have  stood  by  each  other 
through  all  the  bitter  trials,  I  despise  my  own  useless, 
barren  life.  Not  one  noble  deed  ! " 

"  It  is  our  comfort  that  God  does  not  judge  us  as  we 
judge  ourselves  in  moments  of  despair." 

"Ah,  but  his  eyes  are  clearer,  and  he  sees  all  the  fault* 


THE   CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  309 

and  littlenesses  that  we  try  to  gloss  over.  So  you  must  let 
me  make  what  amends  I  can." 

Madge  could  dimly  imagine  the  confession.  Would 
it  be  right  to  listen  ?  But  before  she  could  resolve  the 
tangled  doubts,  May  had  begun. 

"You  and  Charlie  were  engaged  —  I  knew  that,  and  his 
mother  only  induced  him  to  go  abroad  by  promising  to 
consent  to  the  marriage  on  their  return.  I  know  he  was 
honest  enough  to  tell  you  that  it  displeased  her,  but  he  was 
also  brave  and  chivalrous,  and  he  loved  you.  When  he 
would  have  returned,  he  was  over-persuaded  to  stay ;  in- 
deed, we  could  not  have  remained  comfortably  without 
him.  So  he  kept  true  in  the  face  of  everything,  even 
when  he  did  not  receive  letters  for  months.  One  night 
while  we  were  at  Florence,  we  attended  an  American 
party,  and  some  people  who  had  known  Mrs.  Copeland 
were  discussing  your  approaching  marriage,  said  to  be  very 
brilliant  for  a  poor  girl.  One  hears  an  abundance  of  home 
gossip  in  this  way.  He  scouted  the  idea;  but  a  week 
afterwards  he  received  a  letter  from  you,  briefly  explaining 
that  you  had  changed  your  mind,  and  asking  him  to  burn 
your  letters  and  forget  you." 

"  I  never  wrote  it  1 "  interrupted  Madge,  indignantly. 

"I  believe  that  now.  I  know  he  does,  too,  though  he 
has  never  spoken  of  it.  In  the  heat  of  pain  and  wounded 
love,  he  came  to  me  for  comfort,  and  I  —  I  rejoiced  se- 
cretly. You  know  now  how  vile  I  must  have  been  ;  but  I 
never  doubted  the  truth  of  that  then.  Our  engagement 
was  brought  about  by  other  influences  than  those  of  love, 
and  I  was  glad  to  be  his  wife." 

"  O,  hush ! "  cried  Madge.     "  It  can  do  no  good  now." 

"I  want  you  to  know  the  truth.  He  was  blameless. 
Out  of  the  tenderness  of  his  sore  and  wounded  heart,  he 
took  me  in.  I  meant  to  make  him  forget.  I  have  nothing 
Jo  complain  of;  he  has  been  devoted  to  every  whim,  but  I 
know  he  must  have  learned  the  truth.  And  when  youi 


310  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

life  is  compared  to  mine,  it  is  gold  against  worthless  dross. 
I  might  have  made  it  better  —  it  is  my  shame  and  nt.isery 
now.  But  I  filled  it  full  of  eager,  feverish  amusements. 
I  was  afraid,  if  I  kept  quiet  a  day,  some  one  would  think 
me  ill ;  us  if  the  fact  would  not  be  apparent  at  last." 

Madgs  listened  in  a  strange  whirl  of  thought.  Was  it 
any  pleasure  to  know  this  now  ?  Was  it  any  joy  to  have 
her  peace  turned  into  tumult  again,  the  peace  for  which 
•he  had  striven  so  long  and  earnestly  ? 

"You  are  silent.  It  is  a  difficult  thing  for  any  woman  to 
forgive.  And  yet  I  cannot  die  without  some  token — " 

"O,  do  not  think  me  that  hard  and -cruel,"  exclaimed 
Madge,  vehemently.  "And  then  you  were  not  to  blame." 

"  Except  that,  if  he  had  been  free  on  his  return,  the 
truth  would  have  helped  you  both.  I  see  all  ray  selfish 
aims  and  desires." 

"  God  knows  that  I  forgave  everything  long  ago." 

"  Forgive  me  now —  not  in  this  vague,  general  way,  but 
from  the  depths  of  your  soul.  And  pray  for  me  that  I 
may  find  some  path  out  of  this  terrible  darkness.  For 
death  is  certain.  There  can  be  no  reprieve." 

Madge  pressed  the  burning  hand  to  her  lips,  and  some 
pitying  tears  fell  upon  it.  From  the  depths  of  her  soul  she 
did  pardon.  May  had  not  committed  the  greater  sin. 
From  the  pangs  of  her  own  love  she  sympathized  with  her 
profoundly.  And  bending  over  her,  she  kissed  the  throb- 
ing  brow. 

"Thank  you.  When  you  were  a  child  you  would  never 
say  anything  that  you  did  not  feel  or  believe.  And  the 
pure,  white  truth  must  be  such  a  comfort  in  this  world  of 
deception.  O,  if —  But  it  is  too  late." 

"No.  You  have  made  all  the  reparation  in  your  power," 
returned  Madge.  "  You  have  cleared  him  from  stain  ;  so 
let  it  be  placed  in  the  deep  grave  of  forgetfulness." 

"  How  noble  you  are !  And  that  he  should  have  had  a 
rain,  shallow,  fretful  woman  thrust  upon  him ! " 


THE   CROWN  OP  DUTY. 

"You  loved  him,  and  that  must  have  redeemed  j  >a  i»< 
his  eyes." 

"Will  you  look  at  my  baby?"  Mrs.  "JVestlake  <wLH., 
timidly,  after  a  long  pause. 

A  little  girl,  peacefully  asleep.  Pretty,  waxen  baby  fea 
tares,  and  a  fringe  of  golden  hair  framing  the  fair,  broa/ 
brow.  The  picture  touched  Madge  with  exceeding  te» 
derness. 

As  she  turned  away  silently,  May  held  out  her  hand. 

"  I  have  something  else  to  ask ; "  and  the  sad  voice  stru<  • 
gled  with  sobs.  "  O,  Madge !  when  you  are  her  mother, 
have  a  little  pity  upon  us  both.  When  he  is  happy  wrth 
a  happier  wife,  and  other  children  cluster  about  his  knae, 
do  not  let  her  be  quite  crowded  out.  She  never  sinned 
against  you." 

"  O,  hush !"  pleaded  Madge,  her  face  scarlet  with  sur- 
prise and  tender  shame.  "For  he  —  " 

"  I  shall  fade  out  of  his  future  like  a  troubled  dream.  3 
never  was  his  strongest  and  most  enduring  love,  though  ) 
might  not  have  guessed  it  from  any  act  of  his,  if  my  con 
science  had  not  kept  the  fact  alive.  He  has  been  patlens 
with  all  my  caprices  and  frivolities.  Why  should  I  de 
mand  the  sacrifice  of  his  whole  life  ?  Only  you  will  be  ' 
little  tender  to  her?  It  is  so  hard  to  think  of  leaving  her!  *" 

The  voice  sank  away  to  a  dreary  whisper.  Madgo 
Ashburton's  heart  throbbed  with  the  deepest  emotion.  To 
be  silent  appeared  cold  and  cruel ;  but  what  could  she  say  ? 

"  Promise ! "  entreated  the  beseeching  voice. 

It  was  such  a  solemn  moment  that  the  young  girl's 
heart  stood  still  with  awe. 

"  You  are  so  good  to  every  one  .else  —  this  was  why  I 
dared  to  hope.  Have  I  sinned  beyond  the  pale  of  pity  ?  " 

"  O,  it  is  not  that ; "  and  Madge  tried  to  steady  her 
voice — to  think  if  she  dared  —  if  it  were  right. 

"  For  her  sake,  poor  sweet  baby,  who  will  never  know 
how  her  mother  loved  her." 


312  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

Madge  knelt  beside  the  sorrowful  pleader.  Had  not  the 
experience  of  her  whole  life  been  preparing  her  for  some 
such  moment  as  this  ? 

"If  it  should  ever  be  in  my  power  to  do  anything  for 
her,  you  may  trust  me,"  she  answered,  in  a  slow,  solemn 
voice.  "  As  for  the  past,  it  would  be  false  and  useless  to 
say  that  I  had  not  suffered ;  but  I  have  overlived  it.  God 
gave  me  the  trial  for  some  wise  purpose,  and  now  I  have 
grown  tranquil  and  happy  in  my  home  duties  and  affec- 
tions. I  have  accepted  the  life  there  fully  and  freely.*' 

"  You  are  so  much  better  and  nobler  than  I ! " 

"You  look  at  me  with  indulgent  eyes;"  and  Madge 
smiled,  a  little  sadly.  "  I  have  had  some  hard  lessons  to 
learn,  taken  up  many  duties  for  which  it  seemed  that  I  was 
scarcely  fitted  in  the  beginning.  I  have  had  to  conform  to 
these  things  by  slow  and  often  painful  endeavor." 

Mrs.  Westlake  studied  the  flushed  face  for  many  mo- 
ments. 

"  I  wonder  if  it  comes  natural  for  people  to  be  good ;  and 
if  not,  how  can  they  make  themselves  love  and  aspire  to 
it?" 

"  I  think  the  greatest  difference  is,  that  some  try  more 
earnestly  than  others.  It  is  not  easy  —  at  first.  There  are 
so  many  mistakes  and  failures." 

"And  you  had  these?" 

"I  had  many  of  them.  It  seemed  to  me  that  when  we 
went  away  from  Home  Nook,  I  possessed  courage,  hope, 
trust  in  God,  and  the  faith  that  inspires  a  Christian  life. 
But  as  I  learned  to  know  myself  better,  as  the  waves  and 
storms  passed  over  me,  sweeping  away  all  false  props,  I 
understood  how  much  had  been  the  sanguine  temperament 
of  childhood,  and  a  feeling  that  I  was  strong  enough  for 
myself.  But  God  asks  us  to  lean  upon  Him,  to  trust  His 
strength,  and  not  our  own." 

"But  how  to  find  Him?" 

It  seemed  to  Madge  that  she  was  still  an  ignorant  ohild 


THE   CROWN  OP  DUTY.  313 

.n  the  way.  How  could  she  direct  this  poor,  trembling, 
questioning  soul  ?  she  who  had  gone  so  many  times  astray  I 

"  He  is  nearer  than  we  think,"  she  answered,  slowly 
"  He  listens  to  our  faintest  cry  if  we  will  but  come  to  Him. 
When  all  other  supports  fail,  His  strong  arm  is  stretched 
out  —  if  we  will  but  trust." 

•*  I  have  nothing  to  give.  A  brief  life,  spent  in  thought- 
less pleasure,  wasting  both  body  and  soul.  It  seems 
cowardly  to  cry  to  Him  now  in  my  despair,  when  I  can 
offer  him  no  service." 

"  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

That  promise  seemed  so  much  better  to  Madge  than  any 
words  of  her  own !  For  it  was  such  an  awesome  and 
sacred  thing  to  direct  a  human  soul  drifting  on  the  broad 
sea  of  no  belief,  no  faith. 

"But  would  He  take  the  very  last,  a  fragment?" 

The  eager,  feverish  light  in  the  eyes  showed  a  depth  and 
intensity,  a  desire  to  cling  to  something  stronger  than  her 
own  weak  nature,  that  almost  surprised  Madge. 

"  He  has  promised  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  But  you 
have  been  thinking  of  this  before  ?  " 

"Yes.  For  a  month  I  have  not  been  out  except  as  I 
was  taken  in  a  carriage.  Auntie  is  kind,  but  it  makes  hei 
nervous  to  stay  in  the  sick  room;  and  as  I  did  not  want  to 
talk  to  nurse,  I  used  to  lie  here  and  go  over  the  events  of 
my  useless  life,  and  the  only  step  I  could  see  clearly  wa* 
confessing  this  wrong  and  desiring  to  make  all  the  amends 
I  could.  I  sinned  at  first  unwittingly  —  " 

"  We  will  let  that  go,"  said  Madge,  in  her  grand,  tender 
tone.  "  I  know  now  that  the  fault  was  not  all  yours,  nor 
his,  and  I  am  quite  content.  Do  not  ever  give  another 
anxious  moment  to  the  subject." 

"  How  generous  you  are  !  I  wish  we  had  been  better 
friends  in  the  old  days.  And  now,  will  you  tell  me  what 
I  must  do  next?  I  do  pray,  but  it  does  not  seem  as  if 
God  heard.  And  when  I  look  at  my  poor,  foolish  life,  I 
feel  as  if  I  had  nothing —  " 


314  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  He  will  take  us  just  as  we  are,"  Madge  returned,  softly. 

The  dying  girl  sighed.     "  If  I  could  believe,"  she  said. 

"And  that  seems  the  most  vital  point  of  all.  Will  you 
not  take  God's  promises,  trust  them  ?  " 

"  If  I  knew  how.  O,  you  cannot  understand  the  terri- 
ble darkness  and  fear.  I  think  of  it  until  I  could  welcome 
the  silence  of  the  grave,  if  so  be  I  might  escape  it  all. 
Tell  me  about  poor  Jenny  Yates.  The  nurse  heard  it 
nom  Catharine." 

Madge  repeated  the  story  very  simply,  and  in  telling 
that,  found  a  greater  freedom  for  herself.  She  forgot  the 
wrong  and  the  trial,  and  her  purest  sympathies  were  en- 
listed in  behalf  of  this  poor  soul,  drifting  so  helplessly  out 
to  eternity.  She  put  by  all  minor  and  purely  personal  con- 
siderations, and  strove  to  do  her  duty  faithfully.  But 
presently  she  said,  — 

"I  think  we  have  talked  enough  for  one  morning.  Yon 
must  be  weary." 

"  It  can  make  little  difference,"  returned  May  Westlake, 
sadly.  "  Yesterday,  the  doctor  said  I  could  have  what- 
ever I  wanted,  and  must  not  be  crossed  in  anything.  You 
know  what  that  means." 

Madge  gazed  pitifully  at  the  wasted  face.  It  meant  that 
life  would  be  brief,  at  the  best. 

Mrs.  Westlake  could  hardly  bear  to  have  her  go,  and 
clung  to  the  firm  fingers,  that  seemed  so  strong  and  restful. 

"  You  will  come  again  ?  "  she  murmured,  beseechingly. 

"If  you  need  me  —  yes." 

For  there  was  still  a  gulf  between  them.  Madge's  deli- 
cacy forbade  her  accepting  the  position  of  a  friend  under 
these  peculiar  circumstances.  But  she  had  persuaded  her 
to  see  Mr.  Maurice,  who,  she  felt  assured,  would  lead  her 
in  the  right  path  with  all  Christian  tenderness. 

After  her  return  home,  Madge  sought  her  mother  at 
once,  and  confided  to  her  the  particulars  of  the  interview 
for  she  felt  that  she  needed  some  guidance  as  well. 


THE  CBOWN   OF  DUTY.  815 

u  Yet  I  am  glad  to  know  the  truth,"  she  said.  "  They 
nave  both  been  sufferers  as  well  as  I.  If  any  prayer  of 
mine  could  restore  May  to  health,  how  thankfully  it 
would  be  uttered!" 

Madge  Ashburton  spoke  but  the  simple  truth.  Her 
pity  was  honest  and  profound.  The  past  had  been  over- 
lived, as  she  told  Mrs.  Westlake.  She  had  accepted  the 
duties  of  this  quiet  life  cheerfully  —  a  life  in  which  there 
would  be  no  extreme  changes  of  mood,  no  fitful  flashes  ot 
hope  or  despair.  And  now  she  strove  to  put  by  the  ex- 
citement of  the  moment,  and  return  to  her  wonted  seren- 
ity. It  was  enough  to  know  that  honor  and  manliness 
had  been  betrayed,  not  thrust  out  of  sight  in  mere  selfish 
aggrandizement. 

It  appeared  almost  as  if  the  prayer  might  be  answered. 
Mrs.  Westlake  rallied  again,  and  was  able  to  drive  out. 
From  Mr.  Maurice,  Madge  heard  most  encouraging  ac- 
counts. 

"  She  is  learning  to  trust,  to  believe,"  he  said,  in  one  of 
their  frequent  conversations.  "  And  yet  what  a  case  of 
spiritual  destitution  it  was !  Nothing  but  pleasure  and 
gayety  while  she  was  able  to  endure  it,  and  the  darkness 
of  despair  when  that  light  was  shut  out.  Ah,  it  is  well 
that  God's  mercies  are  infinite." 

But  when  the  light  came  at  length,  after  long  watching 
and  many  prayers,  when  through  the  real  and  personal 
acceptance  of  God's  truth,  May  Westlake  was  made  free, 
and  tasted  with  great  trembling  and  awe  the  bliss  of  be- 
lieving herself  God's  child,  she  wrote  to  Madge  the  many 
things  she  could  not  have  uttered,  and  thanked  her  with 
touching  gratitude  for  all  that  she  had  done.  "And 
though  I  should  like  to  live,"  she  said,  "  it  is  no  longer 
terrible  to  die." 

Madge  gave  thanks  from  the  depths  of  her  full  heart. 
And  when  the  next  summons  came  for  a  visit,  she  went 
with  little  fear. 


816  HOME  NOOK.   OB 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

CLEMENT. 

"  A  LETTEB  from  Clement ; "  and  Philip  held  it  up  in 
triumph.  "  It  is  to  mother,  or  I  should  have  broken  tne 
seal.  I  am  all  impatience  to  know  if  it  announces  hia 
return." 

They  were  gathered  on  the  wide  porch  in  the  summer 
afternoon.  The  lawn  spreading  out  before  them  was  a 
mass  of  greenness  and  bloom,  and  wafts  of  honeysuckle 
and  jasmine  were  blown  about  by  the  soft  south  wind. 

Philip  tossed  the  letter  into  his  mother's  lap,  and  fold- 
ing his  arms,  leaned  against  the  vine-bound  column. 

"  He  is  coming  —  will  follow  the  letter  speedily,  he  says, 
but  not  alone.  He  was  married  on  the  morning  this  letter 
was  written." 

Half  a  dozen  wondering,  eager  faces  turned  towards  her 
in  surprise. 

"  I  shall  bring  no  stranger  into  the  home  circle,  but  one 
whom  you  have  seen,  and  whom  you  must  love  for  her 
own  sake  as  well  as  mine ;  for  her  pure,  noble  soul,  and 
unswerving  truth.  I  know  you  will  be  surprised,  yet  I 
believe  the  love  is  only  a  more  comprehensive  outgrowth 
of  my  boyish  fancy." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  read  that  sentence  aloud,  pausing  amid 
the  various  ejaculations. 

tt  Doesn't  he  mention  any  name  ?  "  asked  Philip. 

"No.  We  may  expect  him  in  about  ten  days  after  the 
receipt  of  this." 

"How  odd  and  mysterious  for  straightforward  Clement 
Nelly,  you  know  the  most  about  his  friends  —  can  yon 
venture  a  guess  ?  " 


THE  CROWN   OP  DUTY.  317 

"I  should  have  to  consider.    It  is  very  strange,  I  think." 

"He  admits  that  it  is  a  sudden  resolve,  but  circum- 
stances rendered  it  necessary,  and  will  justify  him  to  us. 
he  believes,"  continued  Mrs.  Asbburton. 

They  were  all  silent,  feeling  that  they  would  rather  have 
welcomed  him  alone  after  this  seven  years'  absence.  There 
would  be  so  much  to  say  that  no  stranger  could  know  of 
appreciate.  Consequently  they  were  hardly  as  joyful  as 
they  expected  to  be. 

Madge  was  the  first  to  recover. 

"  Clement  has  been  very  good  and  generous  to  us,"  she 
said,  "and  after  this  seven  years  of  toil  and  exile,  he 
deserves  to  be  happy.  We  will  not  question,  because  he 
has  chosen  it  in  his  own  way,  neither  should  our  welcome 
be  less  warm." 

The  sweet  and  heartsome  voice  seemed  to  restore  their 
wonted  interest.  Clement  was  a  noble  and  tender  brother, 
and  they  could  trust  him  to  choose  wisely,  or  at  least  to 
be  loyal  to-the  old  home  ties. 

But  for  the  next  ten  days  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
Hpeculation,  and  each  tried  hard  to  hope  for  the  pleasant- 
est  of  reunions.  Eleanor,  with  her  peculiar  and  painful 
experience,  felt  most  anxious.  For  now  they  had  all 
become  so  united  that  they  dreaded  any  break.  And  she 
knew'  only  too  well  the  difference  one  inharmonious  soul 
might  make. 

But  the  days  flew  by  rapidly.  The  house  was  put  in 
choicest  order,  and  a  pleasant  apartment  made  ready  for 
the  new  comers.  Yet  Madge  sighed  a  little. 

"It  can  never  be  quite  the  same  again,"  she  said. 
"  Jessie  will  go  away  in  the  autumn,  and  when  changes 
begin,  one  never  knows  where  they  will  end.  We  have 
been  so  very  happy  the  past  year  that  I  am  almost  afraid 
of  the  future." 

Could  it  bring  anything  better  to  them  ? 

Philip  was  to  go  down  to  the  steamer  and  escort  the 


31 1  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

tre  rollers  home.  A  peculiar  awe  seemed  to  fall  upon  the 
household,  that  in  all  their  discussions  had  never  agreed 
upon  any  one  person.  And  as  the  hour  of  their  arrival 
dr'iw  nigh,  every  sound  was  noted  with  a  strained  and 
wrtchful  anxiety.  Madge  laughed  over  her  own  ner- 
vousnoss. 

The  carriage  swept  around  the  drive  at  length,  and 
halted  at  the  steps.  Philip  sprang  out  first. 

Was  this  really  Clement?  Taller  and  larger  than 
Philip  in  every  respect,  bronzed  by  the  burning  suns  of 
that  far-distant  land,  blooming  and  bearded,  and  with  the 
easy,  elegant  air  of  an  Eastern  prince  in  the  books  of  their 
childhood.  The  familiar  boyishness  had  long  since  dis- 
appeared. Not  one  trait  that  they  remembered,  hardly  a 
feature  that  they  could  recall,  and,  perhaps,  the  first  mo- 
ment was  one  of  disappointment  as  well  as  surprise. 

Only  a  moment,  however;  for  with  the  next  he  had 
clasped  his  mother  fondly  in  his  strong  young  arms,  and 
wrung  his  father's  hand,  while  his  voice  was  lost  in 
emotion. 

"  Dear  mother !  to  find  you  all  here  again  —  alive  and 
well  —  " 

"  Thank  God  for  your  return,  my  son,  my  son ! "  and  the 
father's  voice  was  tremulous. 

"  And  for  the  rest  —  I  believe  I  shall  have  to  be  intro- 
duced. This  is  Eleanor,  I  know  —  " 

"  And  Madge  and  Jessie." 

"  I  think  I  can  faintly  remember  Jessie ;  but  Madge  fai 
exceeds  my  expectations,  having  outgrown  her  twinship 
O,  brother,  and  sisters,  and  parents,  this  is  a  happy  day 
for  me !  And  here  is  my  gift  to  your  household." 

They  had  all  watched  the  slight,  girlish  figure  hanging 
on  Philip's  arm,  and  mounting  the  steps  slowly,  delicately 
giving  them  time  for  their  first  greeting.  Now,  as  Clem- 
ent took  her  hand,  no  larger  than  a  child's,  she  raised  hei 
veil,  and  disclosed  a  face  they  had  seen  before  indeed 


THE  CKOWN  OP  DUTY.  319 

Only  the  most  genuine  refinement  of  feeling  kept  the  sur- 
prise silent  on  their  lips,  for  it  was  Rose  Stanhope. 

"My  wife,"  Clement  said,  in  his  rich,  deep  tone. 

Her  eyes  were  downcast,  and  a  painful  flush  of  embar 
rassment  fluttered  over  her  face. 

Mrs.  Asbburton  broke  the  fast-growing  awkwardness 
by  a  cordial  embrace. 

"  My  child  ! "  she  exclaimed,  with  motherly  tenderness, 
"you  are  most  welcome,  even  though  you  come  as  a 
stranger." 

Rose  raised  her  eyes  timidly.  They  all  remembered  the 
last  painful  interview,  she,  perhaps,  more  keenly  than  the 
rest.  Little  did  she  dream  then  that  there  was  ever  to  be 
a  place  for  her  in  their  circle. 

Eleanor's  movement  roused  both  Madge  and  Jessie. 
It  was  no  time  to  be  cold  and  formal.  And  they  felt  in 
their  secret  hearts  that  Clement  must  have  been  convinced 
of  the  wisdom  of  this  step  before  he  had  ventured  to  take 
it.  So  there  were  sisterly  tones  and  pleasant  words  which 
bore  the  impress  of  sincerity. 

Yet  Jessie's  exceeding  delicacy  felt  the  awkwardness 
of  the  position.  Rose  was  blushing  and  trembling,  and  so 
near  to  tears  that  they  caught  the  sound  in  her  voice ;  so 
Jessie  encircled  her  with  a  sisterly  arm,  and  led  her  up 
stairs. 

"  O,  if  you  will  not  —  dislike  me  —  "  she  faltered,  hei 
lip  quivering  like  a  child's  in  its  intense  emotion. 

"We  shall  love  you.  It  was  only  the  suddenness. 
Nay,  there  is  no  need  of  excuses.  Sit  here  and  rest. 
You  are  tired  and  agitated." 

Jessie  unfastened  the  dainty  hat  and  laid  aside  the 
mantle.  Then  she  seated  herself  on  a  low  ottoman,  and 
began  to  take  off  the  remaining  glove. 

"  How  kind  you  are  1  I  have  never  had  a  sister,  you 
know,  and  1  scarcely  remember  my  mother.  You  cannot 
•nderstand  how  dreary  it  is  to  feel  of  kin  to  no  one  in  the 


820  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

world,  and  to  realize  that  you  are  capable  of  loving  and 
appreciating,  and  yet  to  be  shut  out  —  " 

"  Which  you  never  will  be  again,"  said  Jessie,  warmly. 

u  I  wanted  him  —  Mr.  Ashburton  "  —  correcting  herself 
"to  wait  and  tell  you,  but  he  would  not  leave  me  in 
Rome  alone." 

"  It  is  just  right,"  returned  Jessie.  "  After  you  come  to 
know  us  well,  I  think  you  will  feel  quite  satisfied.  We 
were  not  altogether  right  in  the  past,  I  am  afraid,  but  it 
was  so  hard  to  judge." 

The  baby  woke  at  this  juncture,  and  stretched  out  hie 
hands.  They  made  friends  rapidly  over  him,  after  the 
fashion  of  women.  He  laughed  and  crowed,  and  went  to 
Rose  at  once,  burying  both  dimpled  hands  in  her  sunny 
hair,  and  studying  her  out  of  wondering  eyes. 

Jessie  explained  a  few  of  the  changes  briefly,  but  in  her 
chatty,  confidential  manner,  which  made  Rose  feel  that 
she  was  no  longer  a  stranger. 

Down  stairs  they  were  coming  to  a  better  understand- 
ing as  well. 

"I  owe  you  some  explanation,"  Clement  said  to  the 
others  after  she  had  gone.  "  It  was  not  possible  to  bring 
Rose  back  except  as  my  wife,  or  the  marriage  would  have 
been  less  hasty.  She  was  staying  at  Rome  with  some 
friends,  and  we  met  quite  by  accident  one  morning.  That 
evening  she  sent  for  me  to  talk  over  this  odd  business 
about  Home  Nook,  and  when  I  explained  that  your  act 
had  my  fullest  sanction  and  approval,  I  found  that  our 
continued  refusal  had  been  the  source  of  deepest  pain  to 
her.  Father,  I  think  we  all  believe  in  our  hearts  that  the 
man  lying  in  a  far-off  grave  wronged  you  and  us.  She 
feels  it,  too,  though  he  was  her  father,  and  she  loved  him. 
With  this  explanation,  let  the  fact  be  buried  forever.  It 
will  matter  little  now.  For  the  rest  —  a  week  in  her 
society  deepened  an  old,  boyish  impression,  and  solved 
the  difficulty  amicably.  I  need  not  ask  you  to  love  her 


THE  CBOWN   OF  DUTY.  321 

for  my  sake  when  you  come  to  know  her,  for  she  is  worthy 
of  the  dearest  affection." 

"  Which  she  will  receive  from  us,"  returned  Mrs.  Ash 
burton,  warmly.  "  The  sad,  wistful  face  that  turned  away 
so  despairingly  at  that  last  interview  has  haunted  me 
many  a  time  since." 

"  She  envied  you  your  love  and  poverty,"  said  Clement, 
with  a  rare  smile. 

"Perhaps  we  were  colder  than  the  circumstances  re- 
quired. It  was  so  strange,  you  know  —  " 

"  Mamma,"  exclaimed  Madge,  "  I  think  we  were  a  little 
unjust.  I  am  quite  willing  to  make  acknowledgments. 
I  suppose  we  remembered  our  pain,  and  hardships,  and 
suffering,  and  felt  them  embittered  by  the  fact  of  her  ease 
and  luxury,  and  our  wrongs  rendered  us  proud  and  bitter. 
But  we  have  learned  so  much  since  then ! "  and  the  tears 
rushed  to  her  eyes. 

"  My  darling  sister,  is  not  life  all  one  long,  grand  les- 
son?" and  Clement  drew  her  gently  towards  him.  "I 
understand  this  so  well  1  We  felt  proud  of  dear  father's 
honor,  and  to-day  I  am  most  thankful  that  no  man  has 
been  wronged  through  us.  When  we  had  given  up  every- 
thing, perhaps  we  felt  a  little  tempted  to  glory  in  our 
sacrifice.  But  she,  too,  had  made  a  point  of  honor  with 
her  conscience.  You  can  never  guess  how  the  story  of 
our  misfortunes  pained  her.  And  through  her  I  first 
learned  — "  and  Clement  paused,  glancing  at  his  father  — 
u  part  of  the  story  you  kept  from  me ; "  and  there  was  a 
sudden  tremble  in  his  voice.  "  She  informed  me  that  she 
found  him  blind.  How  has  he  been  restored  to  sight? 
And  why  did  you  not  tell  me  ?  " 

"  O,  Clement,  there  was  so  much  for  you  to  do  ! "  and 
Madge  drew  a  long,  quivering  breath,  akin  to  a  sob. 
"  From  the  first,  the  doctor  held  out  a  hope  of  a  successful 
operation,  and  papa  would  not  hear  of  this  being  added  to 
your  burden." 

21 


822  HOME    NOOK,  OB 

Clement  laid  his  hand  on  his  father's  shoulder. 

"  God  has  been  very  good  to  us  all,"  he  said,  with  deep 
emotion.  "  I  want  you  to  feel  that  she  had  even  then  a 
sister's  love  and  sympathy  for  you.  It  was  very  hard  for 
her  to  be  refused  —  shut  out,  as  it  were." 

"  And  we  were  cruel  in  our  coldness,"  returned  Madge, 
with  some  of  the  old  vehemence.  "  But  you  need  never 
fear  for  the  future,  Clement." 

"Our  hearts  have  clustered  closely  around  this  dear  old 
spot,  for  which  we  have  made  so  many  efforts.  And  I 
want  you  all  to  feel  that  our  coming  can  make  no  differ- 
ence. It  must  ever  be  Home  Nook  to  all  of  us,  the  place 
where  each  one  is  most  welcome,  the  centre  of  our  family 
circle  amid  all  the  chances  and  changes.  It  is  to  belong 
to  father  while  he  lives,  the  gift  of  his  children.  For  we 
have  all  toiled  to  this  end,  and  God  has  mercifully  crowned 
our  labors." 

It  was  true.  Each  one  had  borne  a  part  cheerfully. 
Labor  and  sacrifice  had  gone  hand  in  hand,  and  now  they 
were  all  together  once  more,  a  happy  household. 

By  the  time  Mr.  Graham  returned,  they  were  all  the 
warmest  of  friends.  Clement  was  delighted  to  have  them 
lay  aside  their  prejudices  so  readily.  Rose  took  her  place 
in  the  circle  with  a  tender  and  touching  winsomeness,  and 
Madge  declared  laughingly  that  she  felt  better  acquainted 
with  her  than  with  Clement. 

Indeed,  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  this  tall,  handsome, 
foreign-looking  man  belonged  to  them.  Nothing  about 
him  was  familiar.  The  rich,  mellow  laugh  was  like  a  waft 
of  music  blowing  up  from  a  strange  shore,  and  the  easy, 
indescribable  grace  and  indolence  amused  Madge  won- 
derfully. 

She  and  Philip  sat  alone  on  the  porch  a  long  while  that 
evening. 

"  It  is  just  like  a  dream,"  she  said,  with  a  happy  ring  in 
her  voice.  "  I  think  now  that  there  couldn't  be  a  mori 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  828 

delightful  solution  of  the  problem.  And  I  honor  Clement 
for  making  the  place  really  and  truly  papa's." 

"  Clement  is  a  noble  fellow.  Somehow  I  cannot  help 
feelbig  glad  that  a  little  good  fortune  has  come  to  him 
You  know  he  will  put  nearly  all  his  money  in  the  house. 
Rose,  he  said,  would  have  no  marriage  settlements  at  all, 
and  insists  that  she  will  never  touch  the  sum  placed  in 
trust.  It  will  be  enough  to  give  Clement  a  fine  business 
position  somewhere.  I  like  this  old-fashioned  notion  of 
perfect  confidence  in  one  another." 

"  Since  Clement  has  been  most  loyal  and  unselfish  with 
us,  we  can  trust  him  in  all  things  else.  I  think  she  will 
never  need  to  question  his  devotion  or  integrity." 

«  No,  indeed." 

And  then  both  were  silent,  going  over  in  their  own 
hearts  the  paths  by  which  they  had  been  led.  How  they 
had  all  changed  since  the  old  days  —  shaken  off  the 
crudeness,  the  hasty,  unreasoning  beliefs  and  prejudices, 
grown  broader,  more  generous,  more  truly  loyal  to  God, 
more  tenderly  considerate  of  each  other!  The  path  had 
been  marked  by  many  tears,  many  failures,  many  despair- 
ing moments ;  but  here  and  there  a  Bethel  had  been  reared, 
on  which  the  angels  had  descended,  and  it  would  never  be 
so  dark  again,  for  God  had  become  the  light  thereof! 

For  a  while  there  was  quite  a  gala  time.  Every  old 
haunt  had  to  be  revisited  by  Clement,  old  friends  looked 
up,  old  stories  told.  By  degrees  he  learned  the  many 
struggles  they  had  not  thought  worth  while  to  trouble  him 
with,  since  it  would  hardly  be  in  his  power  to  relieve  all. 

He  had  insisted  now  that  Philip  should  resign  his  posi- 
tion as  head  of  the  family,  and  be  free  to  follow  out  his 
first  plans.  At  the  same  time  Philip  received  a  most 
excellent  offer  from  the  firm.  Mr.  Osborne  was  about  to 
retire,  and  since  the  firm  was  in  a  sound  and  prosperous 
financial  condition,  Ward  had  persuaded  his  father  to 
make  this  generous  proposition. 


824  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"It  is  more  than  kind  in  Mr.  Graharr.,"  Philip  saU. 
u  A  sure  road  to  competency  in  the  course  of  the  next 
ten  years,  and  an  offer  that  is  seldom  made  to  a  young 
man  with  no  capital." 

"And  you  will  hardly  let  it  slip,"  returned  Eleanor. 
"For  I  think  we  have  all  learned  that  a  wise  and  judi- 
cious uso  of  money  benefits  our  fellow-creatures  as  well  as 
ourselves.  Industry  and  prudence  are  commended  as 
highly  as  mere  selfish  aims  and  grasping  covetousness  are 
held  up  to  abhorrence." 

"But  Philip's  old  dream  was  to  be  a  physician,  you 
know,"  said  Madge. 

"  I  believe  it  is  my  dream  no  longer." 

"  O,  Philip !  Surely  your  seven  years'  toil  and  waiting 
should  have  some  reward." 

He  smiled  gravely,  and  was  silent  for  several  minutes, 
while  the  others  watched  him. 

"I  believe  I  never  realized  so  thoroughly  our  depen- 
dence upon  God  as  during  my  illness  and  the  discouraging 
months  that  followed.  Not  that  I  could  do  this  all  at 
once.  I  had  many  dark  and  despairing  hours,  many  hard 
struggles  with  doubt  and  unbelief;  but  I  felt  that  if  I  lost 
Him  I  lost  everything,  and  when  I  could  do  nothing  but 
cling  blindly,  I  never  quite  gave  up  my  hope.  I  placed  my 
life  and  my  future  in  His  hands,  and  I  found  consolation  in 
the  hour  of  trial,  strength  against  temptation,  tender  well- 
springs  of  gratitude,  and  fervent  trust.  With  my  firm 
belief  and  my  wider  knowledge  of  the  world,  my  soul 
began  to  yearn  over  all  those  thoughtless  ones  rushing 
swiftly  down  the  path  to  destruction.  When  we  believe 
firmly  and  truly  that  those  who  do  evil  shall  enter  into 
condemnation,  no  heart  can  be  so  cold  or  cruel  as  not  to 
desire  to  snatch  them  from  the  rapid  and  dangerous  cur- 
rent. I  felt  then  how  high  and  holy  a  work  it  was  —  " 

Philip's  voice  faltered  a  little.  Mrs.  Ashburton  crossed 
the  room,  and  laid  her  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  325 

"  I  understand  it,  my  son,"  she  said,  in  her  soft,  sweet 
tone.  "  God  has  called  you  to  a  higher  and  holier  work 
And  it  seems,  since  we  have  been  prospered,  dispersed 
and  gathered  together  again,  kept  through  many  dangers, 
and  allowed  to  meet  once  more  in  the  full  possession  of 
life  and  health,  we  owe  Him  some  thank-offering.  What 
better  than  that  one  of  our  number  should  be  consecrated 
to  His  service  ?  " 

"If  He  will  accept  my  humble  and  earnest  endeavor, 
and  allow  me  to  labor  in  so  glorious  a  cause.  He  seems 
to  make  the  way  plain  for  me  now.  I  have  discussed  the 
matter  with  Clement,  who  heartily  approves.  Ton  will 
not  stand  in  need  of  my  services  at  home,  and  I  can  read- 
ily give  up  the  prospect  of  personal  advancement  and 
fortune." 

"  God  speed  you,"  said  his  father,  solemnly. 

There  could  be  no  objection,  Philip  had  performed 
every  duty  faithfully,  and  they  all  felt  that  he  ought  to  be 
free  to  follow  his  own  wishes. 

"It  is  nobler,"  said  Madge,  long  afterwards,  as  they 
stood  quite  alone  uttering  their  good  nights.  "Not  but 
that  any  sphere  in  life  can  be  made  worthy;  but  this, 
with  its  high  duties,  seems  to  bring  one  nearer  to  God, 
and  has  in  it  fewer  selfish  aims.  And  that  you  should 
have  thought  of  it  so  long  ago  1  But  if  you  had  enlisted, 
Philip,  or  at  least  gone  away  ?" 

"That  was  my  sorest  trial;  I  will  confess  it  now.  A 
clergyman's  hands,  of  all  others,  should  be  clean  ar.d  pure, 
not  stained  with  a  brother's  blood  —  though  God  forbid 
tb.at  I  should  misjudge  those  who  have  given  their  lives 
for  the  cause.  But  I  saw  no  other  resource  at  the  time, 
and  made  the  sacrifice,  trusting  to  God.  He  opened  a 
door  of  escape." 

They  both  smiled,  though  tears  shone  in  their  eyes  as 
well. 

"  Clement  is  so  good  I   This  will  be  a  pleasant  home  foi 


326  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

all  of  you,  though  in  a  short  time  dear  Jessie  will  hav« 
her  own  pretty  nest,  and  perhaps  Nellie  another.  So  you 
will  be  the  only  home  daughter." 

Mr.  Graham's  house  in  the  city  was  approaching  com- 
pletion. It  would  appear  odd  to  do  without  Jessie,  but  it 
was  best.  When  Philip's  resolve  was  finally  settled  — 
and  the  elder  Mr.  Graham  considered  it  a  very  foolish 
one  —  the  business  offer  was  transferred  to  Clement  Ash- 
burton  and  accepted. 

"The  name  of  Ashburton  will  have  an  opportunity  to 
redeem  itself,  after  all,"  said  Philip,  in  delight. 

Madge,  in  the  mean  while,  was  making  occasional  suc- 
cesses in  her  undertaking,  enough  to  give  her  a  feeling  of 
independence  so  far  as  her  personal  wants  were  concerned. 
Miss  Hetty's  Home  occupied  a  large  place  in  her  heart. 

Madge  Ashburton  would  not  be  one  to  delight  in  pros- 
perity for  selfish  uses.  She  had  learned  her  lesson  too 
well,  and  the  knowledge  that  comes  through  suffering  is 
generally  purified.  Her  heart  would  never  be  narrow  nor 
cold,  neither  would  her  eyes  turn  carelessly  away  from 
suffering.  Whatever  her  station  in  life  might  be,  Christian 
virtues  would  ennoble  it. 

Eleanor's  friendship  with  Mr.  Wyverne  had  at  length 
merged  into  an  engagement  —  not  without  much  earnest 
consideration  and  humble,  fervent  prayer.  She  went  to 
her  mother  for  tender  counsel ;  now,  indeed,  none  of  them 
were  shut  out  of  her  confidence. 

There  appeared  no  good  reason  why  she  should  refuse 
BO  true  and  noble  a  man  as  Mr.  Wyverne  when  he  had 
won  her  esteem  and  affection.  Miss  Wyverne  gave  her  a 
sister's  love  already,  and  both  were  exceedingly  fond  of 
little  Greta.  Why  should  she  shrink  from  accepting  love 
and  tenderness  for  the  ashes  of  a  dead  hope  ? 

But  Eleanor's  soul  had  grown  clearer  since  those  old 
days.  How  bitterly  she  despised  herself  for  aims  and 
feelings  perverted,  the  fear  and  selfishness  to  which  she 


THE  CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  327 

had  yielded!  Was  she  worthy  of  a  good  man's  trust? 
Did  she  dare  accept  happiness  after  having  once  reck- 
lessly crushed  the  best  hopes  that  can  light  a  woman's 
soul? 

Tremblingly  did  she  accept,  and  that  not  until  Mr. 
Wyverne  had  heard  the  past  with  its  mistakes  and 
failures. 

"I  think  you  blame  yourself  too  severely,"  he  said. 
•'At  that  time  you  hardly  understood  your  own  soul  and 
its  needs,  and  you  did  try  earnestly  to  do  your  duty. 
Under  more  favorable  circumstances,  you  might  have 
been  happy,  and  made  another  so,  even  if  it  was  not  of  the 
highest  type.  But  I  hold  that  you  have  amply  redeemed 
your  errors." 

M  Thank  you,"  she  murmured  from  her  full  heart. 

"  But  the  marriage  will  not  be  at  all  hurried,"  she  said 
afterwards  to  her  mother.  "  I  want  to  be  quite  sure  that 
I  am  right  this  time.  I  cannot  plead  youth  and  inex- 
perience for  any  mistake  that  I  may  be  led  into  now." 

They  had  all  taken  very  cordially  to  Clement's  wife, 
and,  as  he  predicted,  they  soon  loved  her  for  her  own 
sake,  giving  her  something  of  the  regard  that  had  always 
been  Jessie's ;  for,  indeed,  they  appeared  nearer  alike. 
Nought  of  the  past  that  might  have  proved  painful  was 
ever  referred  to,  and  they  came  to  understand  presently 
how  her  high  and  unswerving  conscience  had  led  her  to 
desire  to  make  all  the  amends  in  her  power  for  an  uncon- 
fessed  wrong. 

A  happy  household  indeed,  grown  stronger,  tenderer, 
and  still  more  brave  by  the  many  trials,  finding  in  daily 
duties  a  daily  recompense,  the  peaceful  tranquillity  like  a 
presious  balm  poured  into  wounds,  soothing,  healing  all 
that  was  painful. 


828  HOME   NOOK.   OB 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

LILIES   AND   BUB. 

MADGE  ASHBUBTON,  lingering  in  a  shady  corner  of  the 
balcony  one  bright  afternoon  early  in  September,  listened 
to  the  slow  tolling  of  the  bell  that  counted  out  the  brief 
human  years  of  a  young  soul.  She  knew  that  a  month 
ago  Mrs.  Westlake  had  insisted  upon  another  change  of 
air  for  May,  who  had  rallied  beyond  expectation.  But  it 
was  the  last  effort  of  physical  forces.  This  morning  she 
had  been  brought  back  shrouded  and  coffined,  and  now 
they  were  performing  the  last  sad  rites  over  her. 

The  few  interviews  had  been  peculiar  from  the  nature 
of  the  situation,  and  in  some  respects  exquisitely  painful, 
the  one  going  regretfully  out  of  a  place  that  her  inmost  soul 
told  her  she  never  should  have  filled,  the  other  understand- 
ing the  deeper  joy  and  blessedness  which  she  might  have 
entered  into  with  the  keen  and  high  spirit-appreciation  be- 
longing to  her  nature,  all  the  tender  and  satisfying  expe- 
riences May  had  missed.  Yet  she  had  to  shut  her  eyes 
upon  them,  to  put  them  out  of  her  reach  and  out  of  her 
thoughts  before  any  passionate  grief  or  longing  made  it  a 
a  sin. 

She  had  thrust  it  out  bravely.  In  all  the  after  life,  what- 
ever came,  there  would  be  no  stain,  no  shame,  in  remember- 
ing this  summer.  She  had  learned  to  have  faith  and  pa- 
tience in  God's  way,  instead  of  her  own  impulsive  desires. 
She  would  not  even  be  tempted  to  dream  over  the  future. 

In  her  hand  she  held  the  last  note  the  trembling  fingers 
had  written.  "  At  peace  1 "  it  said,  "  waiting  for  the  final 
summons,  a  little  happier  if  she  could  have  seen  her  deal 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  329 

friend's  face  once  more,  but  content  to  go.  That  all  thorns 
should  be  taken  out  of  the  past  was  her  constant  prayer, 
and  that  some  day  Madge  would  come  to  think  of  her 
as  a  sister,  forgiven,  but  not  forgotten." 

There  was  some  mention  of  the  generous  love  which 
had  so  blessed  her'life,  although  she  had  not  come  in  at  the 
door,  but  climbed  up  some  other  way.  Neither  would 
grudge  her  the  memory  of  this  in  the  years  to  come.  Her 
life  must  have  been  brief  in  any  event. 

Did  Mrs.  Westlake's  conscience  rise  up  in  judgment  a& 
she  took  her  last  glance  at  the  sweet,  cold  face  ?  Had  her 
falsehood  and  treachery  worked  any  blessing  or  benefit  ? 
The  fortune  on  which  she  had  cast  such  longing  eyes  fallen 
to  a  helpless,  motherless  child,  for  Charles  had  steadily  re- 
fused to  share  it.  Her  son,  grave  and  sad  beyond  his  years, 
restless  in  spirit,  ready  to  leave  the  shadowed  home,  and 
plunge  into  any  business  that  promised  distraction  of 
thought;  her  money  and  offers  refused,  herself  lonely, 
wearied  with  the  frivolities  of  life,  and  with  no  peaceful 
refuge,  no  children  rising  up  to  call  her  blessed.  Had  she 
wrought  wisely? 

Madge  dropped  some  sorrowful  tears.  It  was  sad  to 
have  lives  wrenched  from  their  first  foundation,  to  grow 
over  gnarled  places  which  had  once  been  keenest  wounds, 
and  put  forth  green  leaves  and  blossoms  for  the  world.  Is 
it  for  the  world  alone  ?  Does  there  not  come  a  blessed 
consciousness  of  something  higher?  Do  not  pains  and 
sufferings,  and  even  temptations,  bring  us  nearer  to  the 
One  who  bore  them  with  His  own  heavenly  patience? 
Has  He  not  promised  to  watch  and  to  remember  in  the  day 
when  He  makes  up  his  jewels  ?  Is  it  waiting  his  time  for 
recognition  that  is  so  difficult  for  us  ? 

The  bell  ceased  its  mournful  sound.  A  moment  later  it 
would  be  "  dust  to  dust,  ashes  to  ashes."  In  the  redun- 
dance of  physical  health  and  strength,  the  thought  sent  a 
ihher  over  Madge.  She  put  on  her  hat,  and  wandered 


330  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

slowly  down  the  road.  Unconsciously  the  Home  had  come 
to  be  a  place  of  rest  and  refreshing  for  her,  and  thither  sh« 
wended  her  steps. 

Miss  Hetty  was  sitting  in  the  wide  hall,  swaying  gently 
to  and  fro  in  her  low  rocker.  At  Mrs.  Rachel's  request, 
ehe  had  not  worn  mourning,  and  through  the  summer  she 
kept  to  the  old-fashioned  lawns  and  fine  ginghams  that 
had  done  duty  in  past  days.  She  felt  best  in  them,  just 
as  she  always  loved  best  to  walk  among  the  beds  of  sweet- 
william,  lavender,  rosemary,  and  marjoram,  the  garden 
ornaments  of  a  past  generation. 

She  looked  cool  and  quaint,  a  bit  of  in-doore  lying  against 
the  brilliant  sunshine,  and  making  a  fine  contrast. 

She  was  singing,  too,  in  her  cheery  voice,  that  had  an 
underlying  sweetness  in  spite  of  the  quavers  that  broke 
it  now  and  then.  Madge  listened. 

"The  Lord  into  his  garden  comes, 
The  spices  yield  their  rich  perfume, 

The  lilies  grow  and  thrive. 
Refreshing  showers  of  grace  divine 
From  Jesus  flow  to  every  vine, 

And  make  the  dead  revive." 

She  saw  the  flutter  of  a  dress,  and  paused  in  her  sing- 
ing, leaning  out  a  little,  her  face  breaking  into  a  glad 
smile. 

"  O,  Madge,  my  dear  child,  I  was  thinking  of  you  a  few 
moments  ago.  Come  in." 

"  I'll  sit  here  a  little  while,  Miss  Hetty,  in  the  doorway, 
after  the  fashion  of  children.  How  are  all  the  invalids  ?  " 

"Very  comfortable  indeed.  It  has  been  quite  an  idle 
day.  And  you  are  all  well  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

Madge  leaned  her  face  on  her  hand  and  fell  into  a  little 
reverie.  They  were  both  very  beautiful  to  Miss  Hetty, 
the  slender,  shapely  hand  in  its  whiteness,  the  soft,  peachy 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  331 

cheek,  the  waves  of  bronze-brown  hair,  and  the  eyes  with 
their  lustrous  tenderness.  Sometimes,  in  her  elder-woman's 
way,  she  wondered  a  little  about  the  young  girl.  But  what 
never  had  been,  would  be  in  the  days  to  come.  It  was  not 
likely  that  one  so  sweet,  and  bright,  and  winsome  would 
miss  the  centre  that  she  was  born  to  grace. 

"My  dear,"  she  said  again,  softly,  "  does  anything  trouble 
you?  But  there,  I  might  have  known  !  It's  Miss  Jessie 
and  the  baby  going  away,  and  your  brother.  But  then  — 
it  isn't  like  a  long  separation." 

Madge  roused  herself,  thankful  there  was  some  excuse 
for  her  gravity. 

"  The  break  will  come  hard  at  first,  I  suppose,"  she  re- 
plied, while  a  faint  smile  drifted  about  her  face.  "  But 
then  we  have  Rose  and  Clement." 

"  I  never  saw  just  such  a  family.  Mr.  Graham  is  like 
an  own  brother,  and  you  have  taken  in  Clement's  wife 
with  the  same  kind  of  love.  Some  folks  can  hardly  agree 
with  their  blood  relations." 

"But  they  are  both  so  lovely  in  themselves.  It  is  an 
easy  matter  to  be  pleasant  when  every  one  is  good  to 
you." 

"  Most  people  see  the  faults  so  much  sooner  than  the 
virtues!  If  there  was  love  enough  in  the  world  to  keep 
the  wheels  running  smoothly !  Or  if  they  would  try  half 
as  hard  to  be  generous  and  out-giving,  as  they  do  to  be 
sharp,  and  queer,  and  selfish !  As  if  the  Lord  did  not  make 
the  whole  world  for  each  one  — just  the  same  sunshine,  and 
sweet  smells,  and  pictures,  green  fields  and  running  waters ! 
And  when  He  sets  children  in  a  family,  they  have  only  to 
reach  out  their  arms  like  the  trees,  to  make  a  pleasant 
shade  about,  or  sift  the  sunshine  through.  There  are  the 
spring  and  the  buds,  the  summer  and  the  growth,  the 
ripening  autumn  and  the  fruit.  God  minds  all  that;  so 
why  should  we  be  afraid  to  give  out  the  sweetness  ?  There 
will  be  more  to-morrow.  It  is  like  the  manna.  Just 


882  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

for  to-day,  and  no  lack.    We  need  not  be  afraid  of  wear 
ing  out  love." 

w  No."  Madge  smiled  at  the  quaintness.  "  But  I  think, 
Miss  Hetty,  that  real  and  great  sorrows  often  bring  people 
nearer  together,  and  make  them  less  captious  and  critical. 
When  they  try  to  help  each  other  they  find  out  the  under« 
current  of  tenderness  and  affection.  When  all  the  world 
seems  a  desert,  they  cling  the  more  closely  together. 
I  sometimes  feel  that  we  should  never  have  knowu  how 
grand  and  lovely  Eleanor  was  but  for  the  bitter  trouble." 

"And  she  is  coming  to  a  better  happiness.  I  often 
think  a  young  girl's  first  love  is  not  always  the  true  test  of 
her  nature.  It  looks  reasonable  that  a  woman  whose 
judgment  has  matured,  who  is  stronger,  wiser,  and  nobler 
for  her  experience,  could  love  in  a  more  worthy  fashion, 
if  it  come  while  life  is  still  sweet  to  her.  And  if  two  people 
ever  were  made  for  each  other,  it  is  Eleanor  and  Mr.  Wy- 
verne.  And  Miss  Clara  hasn't  a  bit  of  grudging  jealousy. 
She  is  too  grand  for  that.  They'll  bring  many  a  happy 
moment  in  her  life.  And  so,  my  dear,  you  will  be  very 
glad  to  have  Mrs.  Clement." 

"  We  have  always  been  glad  since  we  understood  hei  a 
little  better.  Indeed,  she  is  just  like  a  younger  sister.  I 
wonder  now  how  we  did  without  her  so  long." 

"  It  has  all  come  about  like  a  story.  I  often  wish 
sister  could  have  lived  to  see  it.  But  I  suppose  it  is  best. 
I  could  not  have  thought  so  much  of  these  poor  souls  if  I'd 
had  her  to  love.  When  the  Lord  takes  one  thing  away> 
he  restores  tenfold.  And  that  reminds  me  —  why,  I've 
the  strangest  thing  to  tell  you  — it  has  hardly  been  out  of 
my  mind  till  just  now.  I  couldn't  have  dreamed  of  such  a 
surprise  if  I  had  tried." 

"  Another  donation,  or  another  patient  ?  " 

"  A  donation ;  but  you  never  would  guess !  I  was  that 
much  astonished  that  I  could  not  believe  it  at  first.  It  la 
the  Lord's  hand, my  dear;  I  see  that  as  plain  as  the  day 
Til  go  and  get  it." 


THE   CBOWN  OF  DUTY.  333 

In  the  familiar  room  which  opened  on  tht  hall,  the  room 
with  its  old  furnishings  and  antique  Indian  secretary  that 
Madge  always  remembered  so  well,  Miss  Bright  has  laid 
her  treasure. 

A  plain  white  envelope,  with  her  name  in  a  bold,  clear 
hand,  that  sent  a  tremor  through  Madge's  whole  frame.  It 
was  well  that  Miss  Hetty  was  so  engrossed  that  her  agi- 
tation passed  unremarked. 

"You  would  hardly  believe  it,  but  I  knew  it  for  God's 
own  work  Mr.  Westlake  came  last  night,  just  in  the 
edge  of  the  evening.  I  scarcely  recognized  him  at  first. 
I  should  as  soon  have  expected  the  king." 

By  this  time  Miss  Hetty  had  the  envelope  open.  There 
was  a  check,  with  a  paper  folded  around  it  on  which  was 
written  —  "  For  Miss  Bright's  Home.  To  be  devoted  to 
the  sick  and  the  needy  as  she  thinks  best.  The  gift  of  a 
dying  woman  —  May  Westlake." 

"O!"  and  the  tears  filled  Madge's  eyes.  She  under- 
stood it  even  better  than  the  recipient. 

"It is  for  a  thousand  dollars!  I  never  had  such  a  sur- 
prise in  my  life.  I  should  as  soon  have  looked  for  the 
moon  to  fall  right  into  my  lap.  He  talked  a  long  while 
about  her,  and  said  she  had  been  so  much  interested  in 
Jenny  Yates's  death,  though  at  that  time  she  could  hardly 
resign  herself  to  a  thought  of  the  great  change  coming  to 
her.  I  used  to  think  her  a  foolish,  flighty  little  thing,  but 
I  take  it  all  back  now.  She  changed  a  good  deal  in  the 
last  two  months,  he  said,  and  at  last  saw  her  way  quite 
clearly.  Mr.  Maurice  had  visited  her,  and  I  am  sure  an 
angel  from  heaven  couldn't  make  things  plainer  than  he 
does.  A  few  days  before  she  died,  she  wrote  this  out,  and 
asked  him  to  bring  it  to  me  as  soon  as  he  could,  and  tell 
me  that  she  began  to  understand  the  worth  of  useful  lives. 
He  wanted  it  done  before  she  was  buried." 

"  It  was  thoughtful  and  generous  of  her,"  Madge  re« 
turned,  softly,  trying  to  still  the  great  throbbing  at  her 
heart. 


334  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"  He  asked  me  so  many  questions  about  the  house,  and 
how  I  came  to  think  of  having  a  hospital.  He  wanted  to 
hear  about  Miss  Jessie's  fortune  too,  and  how  you  all  came 
back  to  Home  Nook.  It  may  be  an  old  woman's  fancy, 
but  I  do  believe  he  cared  a  great  deal  for  Miss  Jessie,  and 
it  just  flashed  into  my  mind  —  if  the  fortune  had  been 
hers  sooner  —  " 

"  It  couldn't  have  helped  or  hindered,"  said  Madge,  with 
a  gasp.  "And  Jessie  never — " 

"No,  that  comforted  me  again.  And  she  loves  Mr. 
Graham  so  very  dearly !  You  can  see  it  in  her  eyes  when- 
ever she  speaks  of  him.  But  somehow  I  do  believe  the 
young  man's  life  has  had  a  gnarl  or  a  tangle  in  it — I 
can't  quite  make  out.  The  madam,  you  know,  was  very 
proud  and  haughty,  but  he  is  noble  and  good  to  the  very 
core.  He  sat  here  and  called  me  Miss  Hetty  just  like  the 
old  times.  It  is  plain  to  see  that  his  heart  is  not  in  the 
money  or  the  grandeur,  for  he  thinks  of  going  away  some- 
where and  trying  business.  And  there's  his  poor  little 
motherless  girl!  I  declare  it  made  the  tears  come  into  my 
foolish  old  eyes.  After  all,  youth  seems  the  time  to  be 
happy,  and  I  can't  help  fancying  that  he  has  missed  some 
of  the  sweetest.  Maybe  the  Lord  will  make  it  up  to  him 
in  the  end." 

Mrs.  Farrand  was  coming  down  the  stairs  just  then,  and 
Madge  was  thankful  for  the  interruption.  Her  heart  waa 
too  full  to  take  up  indifferent  topics ;  so,  as  soon  as  she  could 
politely,  she  bade  the  ladies  adieu,  in  spite  of  their  entrea- 
ties that  she  would  remain  to  supper. 

Once  out  of  sight  of  questioning  eyes,  she  gave  way  to 
her  long-repressed  feelings.  It  was  seldom  that  she  allowed 
herself  the  luxury  of  tears,  but  now  they  flowed  forth  un- 
restrained, and  were  a  relief.  She  understood  and  appre- 
ciated the  delicacy  that  had  led  Charles  Westlake  to  keep 
her  name  in  the  background.  It  was  strange,  indeed,  that 
Miss  Hetty's  clear  sight  had  been  so  led  astray  in  the 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  835 

earlier  days.  Madge  was  doubly  grateful  now,  for  com- 
ment on  this  point  would  be  the  one  thing  she  could  not 
endu?e. 

If  they  thought  of  it  at  home,  no  one  made  any  sign,  un- 
less it  was  to  be  tenderer  to  Madge.  And  at  this  juncture 
there  was  so  much  to  divide  attention  !  Philip  was  pre- 
paring for  his  college  terra,  and  Jessie  made  daily  journeys 
to  the  city,  often  taking  Madge  for  a  companion.  The 
new  house  was  being  furnished,  and  Madge  declared  that 
she  luxuriated  in  extravagance,  enjoying  every  dollar  that 
Jessie  spent.  Her  fortune  had  been  re-invested  very  prof- 
itably, but  she  felt  there  was  no  necessity  for  her  to  be 
adding  to  it,  and  it  seemed,  with  all  the  abundance,  that  it 
was  no  more  than  right  to  share  some  of  her  blessings 
with  the  household.  And  in  her  home  they  were  to  be  no 
strangers.  Clement  and  Rose  were  to  be  chief  house- 
holders at  Home  Nook.  Nellie  would  be  married  and 
gone  by  another  spring,  in  all  probability,  and  dear  mamma 
would  be  in  demand  at  every  home. 

"For  I  cannot  imagine  our  forgetting  and  falling  apart, 
as  some  households  do,"  Jessie  said,  as  she  sat  in  her 
mother's  room  the  evening  before  Philip's  departure.  "  If 
it  is  our  troubles,  and  sorrows,  and  struggles  that  have 
bound  us  so  closely  together,  I  am  almost  ready  to  welcome 
them,  now  that  we  have  come  to  sunshine  once  more." 

"  I  am  thankful  that  we  have  had  these  pleasant  weeks 
with  each  other,"  Philip  replied,  "  for  I  suppose  it  will 
never  be  quite  the  same  again.  But,  mother  dear,  where 
you  are  will  be  the  rally  ing-point  for  us  all.  I  am  glad 
that  Clement  and  Rose  have  so  planned  that  it  will  alwaya 
be  here." 

"  Dear  Clement,"  said  the  mother,  fondly.  "  And  yet 
3ach  one  of  you  has  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day. 
I  cannot  tell  you,  my  dear  children,  how  doubly  sweet 
your  sympathy  and  assistance  have  been.  Amid  the  losses 
and  perplexities,  each  one  has  won  something  for  this 
%nd  I  trust  for  the  life  to  come." 


HOME  NOOK,  OB 

"  Sorrow  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  does  come  in 
the  morning,  —  some  morning  when  we  are  not  looking 
for  it,"  said  Jessie.  "  And  it  has  come  blessedly  to  us." 

"Yes,"  returned  Philip.  "Our  gains  have  not  been 
small.  God  has  given  us  beauty  for  ashes,  and  the  oil  of 
joy  for  mourning.  I  sometimes  look  over  the  path  by  which 
we  have  been  led,  and  its  lessons  sink  deeply  into  my  soul, 
We  have  learned  that  no  wrong  or  thoughtless  act  stops 
between  God  and  our  own  conscience,  but  bears  its  fatal 
fruit  wide  spread." 

"And  causes  misery  to  many  innocent  souls,"  said  Madge. 
"  It  is  not  true  that  he  who  sins  always  bears  the  heaviest 
punishment." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  God  desires  to  teach  us  by  this 
one  indisputable  fact,  that  humanity  is  linked  together 
from  this  brief  life  to  the  far-reaching  one  that  is  to  come 
after,  and  that  while  we  make  any  compromise  with  wrong, 
we  are  rendered  just  that  far  incapable  of  decisions  which 
are  pure  and  honest." 

u  And  yet  it  does  seem  hard  to  suffer  from  the  faults  of 
others.  I  cannot  make  out  how  far  any  one  has  a  right;" 
and  Madge  paused,  one  of  the  old  troubled  looks  crossing 
her  face. 

"  My  dear,"  said  her  mother,  "  we  are  not  asked  to  make 
it  out.  We  puzzle  our  heads  over  judgments  and  punish- 
ments as  if  we  could  find  out  all  of  God's  ways,  when  He 
simply  asks  us  to  bear  something  for  His  sake,  to  prove 
our  love  and  devotion.  He,  being  innocent,  suffered  for  the 
many,  and  I  think,  besides  the  grand  doctrine  of  the  atone- 
ment, it  was  to  teach  us  that  lesson,  also.  Wherein  we 
Lave  suffered  innocently,  we  have  followed  a  little  in  His 
footsteps." 

u  I  had  not  thought  of  that." 

"  And  we  become  the  more  careful  of  our  own  actions. 
Every  relation  of  life  has  its  own  responsibility.  We  may 
hurt  and  hinder  others  through  some  selfish  aggrandize- 
ment of  our  purposes  that  may  look  fair  enough  to  our- 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  337 

selves  from  the  outside.     But  we  are  to  go  deeper  than 
that.     We  are  to  sift  our  motives.     For  He  reads  those." 

"  And  to  learn  that  charity  comes  to  mean,  in  daily  life, 
a  wise,  tender,  and  generous  forbearance,  a  helpful  heart 
and  ready  hand;  that  holiness  is  no  mystic,  far-fetched 
quality,  but  an  ever-living  power,  penetrating  both  soul 
and  body,  bringing  humility,  righteousness,  and  faith  in 
its  train.  For  close  to  us  all  is  this  living  presence  of  God. 
We  have  only  to  reach  out  and  take." 

"  But  you  have  so  much  faith,  Philip.  You  see  things 
so  clearly !" 

"  I  have  left  the  darkness  behind  !  I  remember  the  day 
I  enlisted.  I  said,  I  am  here  to  do  whatever  God  wills.  If 
He  open  no  other  door,  I  will  walk  in  this  path,  fulfilling  its 
duties  to  the  uttermost.  And  when  He  set  my  feet  on 
high,  how  could  I  help  but  believe  and  trust?" 

"  And  my  happiness  came  through  that,"  said  Jessie 
with  a  sound  of  tremulous  joy  in  her  voice. 

They  thought  of  another  cloud  that  had  brought  ik, 
silver  lining  to  the  day.  No  one  remembered  it  now  with 
:my  sense  of  wrong.  Rose's  tenderness  would  have  shamed 
them  all  if  they  had. 

"And  we  have  learned  that  duties  and  blessings  abound 
in  the  lowly  paths  of  life  as  well  as  the  loftiest,"  said  Mrs. 
Ashburton ;  "  that  brothers  and  sisters,  parents  and  chil- 
dren, can  bring  forth  good  fruit  in  the  simplest  of  daily 
work.  And  you,  my  children,  have  done  this.  It  is  not 
only  high  heroic  deeds  that  bring  a  sweet  reward.  And 
when  we  comprehend  how  really  grand  a  thing  it  is  to 
live,  we  desire  to  give  back  to  God  the  fruit  of  our  prog- 
ress, our  growth  in  the  graces  of  spiritual  life.  And  now, 
my  darlings,  good  night." 

"I  shall  often  miss  the  dear  old  home,"  said  Philip,  lin- 
gering at  the  door.  "  But  I  know  that  I  shall  keep  my  place 
in  your  hearts,  and  one  of  my  happiest  thoughts  will  be  the 
reunions  to  come." 


988  HOME  NOOK,    OB 

On  the  morrow  they  said  farewell  to  him.  What  a 
manly  soul  his  was !  Truth  and  honor  were  ineffaceably 
stamped  on  his  countenance.  There  would  be  no  weak 
shipwrecks  for  him.  He  had  been  tried  already  "  as  by 
fire." 

Then  Jessie  began  her  preparations.  A  few  trunks  and 
boxes  to  be  packed,  —  for  the  furniture  was  to  remain, — 
part  for  Madge,  and  the  rest  for  her  mother.  After  she 
was  fairly  settled,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashburton  were  to  pay  her 
a  long  visit. 

They  missed  the  baby  wonderfully,  for  Greta  had  been 
nearly  taken  possession  of  by  Miss  Wyverne.  Hardly  a  day 
passed  that  either  Madge  or  Eleanor  did  not  make  a  flying 
call  at  the  new  house  to  have  a  glimpse  of  Jessie  in  all  the 
glory  of  her  pretty  matronly  ways.  Mr.  Graham  insisted 
that  presently  they  meant  to  take  possession  of  Madge, 
adopt  her  and  her  genius  legally. 

Mr.  Wyverne  would  fain  have  had  his  marriage  before 
the  holidays,  and  pleaded  earnestly  that  it  might  be  so. 
Why  Eleanor  desired  to  wait  until  spring,  was  not  very 
clear  to  herself. 

"  There  have  been  so  many  changes  and  leave  takings  !  " 
she  said.  "  We  must  become  a  little  used  to  these  first, 
and  not  have  too  many  vacant  places  at  once.'* 

"But  you  will  be  so  near!  It  is  only  such  a  very  little 
change,"  he  pleaded.  "  And  you  are  quite  sure  of  your 
own  heart  this  time  ?  " 

"  So  sure  that  if  aught  came  between  us,  my  love  would 
Btill  be  yours.  It  seems  as  if  it  must  have  begun  with 
my  very  life.  Do  you  know  I  sometimes  feel  afraid  of 
its  power  and  strength  ?  Have  I  been  growing  in  vehe- 
mence ?  " 

He  glanced  into  the  eloquent,  dark  eyes.  She  was  a 
very  beautiful  woman  in  this  full  maturity,  and  appealed 
atrongly  to  his  aesthetic  sense.  He  watched  her  as  one 
would  a  rare  flower. 


THE  CBOTVT*   OF  DUTY.  839 

"You  seem  to  be  unfolding  into  a  fuller,  freer  life,  my 
darling;  aiid  I  am  glad  to  think  that  it  is  through  me, 
and  for  me.  Because  our  sympathies  are  BO  in  unison,  our 
tastes  and  feelings  so  much  alike,  I  long  to  begin  the  new 
life  with  you.  I  am  not  afraid  to  dare  it  with  my  com- 
parative poverty." 

"As  if  you  did  not  know  how  little  these  things  move 
me  now ; "  and  she  smiled  radiantly.  "  I  am  no  romantic 
girl,  as  you  are  well  aware,  and  yet  the  life  with  you  would 
still  be  a  pleasure  to  me  if  it  were  toil  and  sacrifice.  If  you 
were  sick  or  unfortunate,  I  would  gladly  take  your  place  : 
if  any  sorrow  came,  Heaven  only  knows  how  ready  I  should 
be  to  share  it." 

"  Why  do  you  think  of  such  things  ?  You  have  had 
enough  of  them  in  your  life.  It  will  be  my  whole  study 
to  shut  them  out.  While  I  cannot  give  you  luxury,  I  can 
bestow  upon  you  comfort  and  the  tenderest  love." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  because  I  want  to  make  myself  sure  of 
my  affection  that  I  try  it  by  such  tests." 

"I  think  sometimes  that  you  are  morbidly  conscien- 
tious. When  you  have  had  years  of  happiness,  you  will 
smile  over  this." 

Eleanor  repeated  part  of  the  conversation  to  Madge 
afterwards. 

"  I  think  you  have  a  curious  feeling  about  it  also.  But, 
Nelly,  there  can  be  no  mistake  this  time ; "  and  she  studied 
her  questioningly. 

"  If  you  mean  about  the  love,  —  no,  I  would  go  to  him 
to-morrow,  any  time  he  might  ask.  I  never  dreamed  of 
loving  any  one  in  this  manner.  Is  it  making  idols  ?  " 

"  No,  Nelly,  not  while  we  feel  that  the  loved  one  is 
worthy,  and  that  God  holds  all  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand. 
It  must  be  right  to  give  of  our  best,  when  we  have 
the  highest  in  return,  as  well.  God  doesn't  weigh  and 
measure  to  us.  And  though  I  came  to  sad  and  sorrowful 
times,  it  used  to  comfort  me  to  think  the  love  was  so  sweel 


£40  HOME  NOOK,   OB 


I  had  it.  I  am  glad  that  you  can  be  happy,  my 
dear  sister." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  because  I  feel  that  I  deserve  so  little  of 
it,"  returned  Eleanor,  wiping  away  a  few  tears. 

"  Nelly,"  began  Madge,  after  a  pause,  "  we  can  both  take 
a  lesson  from  Jessie.  She  didn't  worry  about  what  had 
been  and  what  was  to  be.  She  took  the  joy  that  came  to 
her,  and  was  exceedingly  thankful,  and  she  bore  the  trials 
with  a  sweet  patience.  I  think  the  secret  was,  that  she 
lived  in  to-day,  and  found  it  broad  enough  and  high 
enough  for  her.  And  God  means  that  we  shall  enjoy  what 
He  sends  us,  even  if  it  is  taken  away  presently.  Doubt 
is  sometimes  as  bad  as  positive  ingratitude." 

The  girls  kissed  each  other  fondly.  Madge  felt  a  secret 
sympathy  with  Eleanor's  past  suffering,  that  was  deeper 
than  Jessie's  joy.  They  two  were  growing  into  peculiar 
kinship,  although  they  had  appeared  most  antagonistic  in 
the  beginning. 

Had  Eleanor  Copland  some  vague  presentiment  that 
held  her  back  fi  Dm  entering  fully  into  the  promised  en- 
joyment? "In  the  spring,"  she  said;  and  there  she  re- 
mained impregnable.  If  God  meant  that  this  great  happi- 
ness shoul  1  be  hwfB,  »he  would  take  it  then  thankfully. 


THE  CROWS  OF  DUTY.  341 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CBOWNBD   WITH    THORNS. 

"A  LETTEE  for  Eleanor,"  said  Clement,  on  his  return 
from  the  city  one  afternoon. 

"  She  and  Greta  are  in  the  garden  with  Miss  Wyverne ; " 
and  Rose  ran  eagerly  to  carry  the  message. 

Eleanor  opened  it  with  careless  haste,  as  her  correspon- 
dence was  generally  mere  business  notes. 

A  long,  closely-written  letter  in  a  hand  whose  familiar- 
ity made  her  shiver.  She  cast  one  quick,  frightened  glance 
at  the  signature. 

"  O,  Eleanor ! " 

For  it  seemed  at  the  first  moment  as  if  she  would  fall 
to  the  ground.  Miss  Wyverne  clasped  her  arms  around 
the  swaying  figure. 

"  Let  me  go  in,"  she  entreated,  faintly. 

Her  face  was  deadly  pale,  and  swift,  shivering  spasma 
ran  through  every  nerve.  Clara  Wyverne  supported  her 
to  the  steps. 

"  Not  bad  news,  Nelly  ?  "  queried  Clement,  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"Strange  news,  at  least,"  she  replied,  shudderingly. 
"  Excuse  me." 

How  she  found  her  way  up  stairs  she  never  knew.  The 
blackness  of  darkness  seemed  around  her  in  thick  clouds. 
She  threw  herself  upon  the  bed  with  a  cry  of  anguish. 

Mrs.  Ashburton,  hearing  the  sound,  went  to  her. 

"  You  are  ill,  my  child,"  she  exclaimed,  in  alarm. 

"  111 !  O,  mother,  mother !  have  I  not  borne  enough  ? 
Is  there  no  end  to  pain  and  trial  ?  " 


342  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

«  My  darling ! " 

"You  do  not  know;"  in  a  weak,  wandering  voice, 
"  He  has  corae  back  —  is  in  New  York." 

"He!     Who?" 

For  it  appeared  as  if  Eleanor's  senses  were  deserting 
her.  The  lips  were  quivering  and  bloodless,  the  eyes 
wild  and  appealing,  as  if  vainly  searching  for  help,  refuge. 

M  Gerald  Copeland !     O,  mother,  mother ! " 

Mrs.  Ashbnrton  was  speechless  from  surprise.  Eleanor 
crushed  the  still  unread  letter  in  her  hand. 

"O,"  she  moaned,  "how  could  he  let  me  think  him 
dead  all  these  years,  and  then  return !  It  is  cruel." 

Eleanor's  strong,  impatient  sense  of  justice  burst  out 
there.  Perhaps,  too,  the  terrible  consciousness  that  she 
no  longer  loved  him,  and  was  still  his  wife. 

"  My  child,  it  cannot  be ! " 

"  It  is  too  true.  I  have  not  read  the  letter,  but  it  begins, 
*  My  dear  wife,'  and  is  signed  with  his  name.  O,  Heaven, 
how  bitter ! " 

Mrs.  Ashburton  bent  over  her  child.  What  could  she 
gay  in  this  hour  of  anguish,  when  all  human  comfort 
seemed  unavailing?  For  she  realized  with  a  mother's 
keen  pain  and  sorrow  that  this  was  no  ordinary  trial,  no 
even  tolerable  surprise. 

She  roused  herself  from  her  impotent  moaning  at  length. 
" I  am  so  weak,  after  all ! "  she  murmured,  brokenly ;  "but 
it  is  terrible !  To  begin  a  new  life,  and  then  find  myself 
chained  to  the  old.  Let  me  read  my  letter." 

She  smoothed  out  the  crumpled  sheet,  and  her  stony 
eyes  wandered  over  it  without  taking  in  the  sense.  Only 
the  one  fact  found  lodgment  in  her  brain  — Gerald  Cope- 
land  was  alive ! 

Alive  1  He  had  been  in  America  but  a  fortnight,  and 
with  the  curious  kind  of  fortune  that  often  befalls  these 
thriftless  souls,  had  again  come  in  possession  of  considera- 
ble property.  He  had  made  inquiries,  and  now  desired  to 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  848 

see  both  Eleanor  arid  their  child,  and  begged  her  to  forget 
the  past.  There  had  been  a  strange  misunderstandingl 
but  he  believed  that  he  could  explain  everything.  His 
regard  for  her  had  not  changed  through  years  of  separa- 
tion, and  now  he  desired  to  share  his  good  fortune  with 
her. 

"Read  it;"  and  she  placed  it  in  her  mother's  hands, 
burying  her  face  in  the  pillow,  but  not  to  weep.  She 
seemed  stunned,  quite  incapable  of  any  feeling  beyond  a 
sense  of  bitter  wrong  and  pain. 

Mrs.  Ashburton  bent  over  and  kissed  the  cold  cheek, 
which  seemed  to  have  turned  to  ice  on  this  glowing 
autumn  day.  Why  should  this  have  fallen  upon  her 
child?  Surely  they  had  all  borne  enough. 

Eleanor  stirred  presently,  and  grasped  at  the  arm  en- 
circling her. 

"Is  it  not  some  horrible  dream,  dear  mother?  He 
surely  cannot  be  alive  !  How  could  my  letter  have  been 
returned  with  that  announcement  ?  " 

"  It  is  too  true.  My  darling,  I  thought  we  had  come  to 
brighter  times.  I  rejoiced  so  in  your  happiness.  God 
only  knows  the  bitterness  of  this  cup.  But  he  will  give 
us  strength  to  bear  it  as  he  has  in  the  former  trials." 

"  I  tried  to  endure  the  other  bravely.  It  was  the  result 
of  my  own  weak  cowardice,  and  the  evil  of  being  too 
easily  persuaded.  But  this  —  O,  is  there  any  help  ?  " 

Her  despairing  look  and  pathetic  tones  almost  unnerved 
Mrs.  Ashburton.  She  kissed  the  trembling  lips  again  and 
again,  while  her  tears  fell  softly  on  Eleanor's  cheek. 

"My  darling,"  she  said,  "you  are  not  utterly  wrecked, 
though  many  glad  hopes  go  down  with  this.  You  will 
have  much  love,  and  sympathy,  and  assistance." 

"  Yes,  the  brightest  hope !  I  don't  know  why,  but  it 
never  appeared  quite  right  to  accept  Mr.  Wyverne's  love. 
Did  I  have  some  presentiment  ?  And  though  it  is  hard 
to  give  up  a  dream  so  exquisitely  sweet,  still  that  is  not 
the  bitterest  part." 


844  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

She  shuddered  violently,  and  lying  there  with  her  closed 
eyes,  looked  as  if  she  might  indeed  go  out  of  life  without 
any  difficult  struggle. 

"  For  he  must  have  known  that  I  considered  him  dead 
Why  did  he  allow  me  to  believe  anything  so  false  ?  And 
if  I  had  taken  any  step ! " 

"  A  higher  power  has  saved  you  from  that** 

"Thank  God!" 

Eleanor  Copeland  uttered  this  from  her  full  heart,  most 
grateful  that  she  had  not  complicated  her  destiny  by  any 
hasty  act. 

a  Mamma,"  she  said,  presently,  "  you  must  go  down  to 
the  others,  for  the  dinner  will  soon  be  brought  in.  Tell 
them  all  afterwards,  but  do  not  let  me  be  disturbed.  It  is 
best  that  I  should  be  alone  to  think." 

Her  brain  was  in  a  state  of  mental  chaos.  She  could 
only  hear  the  throb  of  her  temples,  and  feel  the  dull  ache 
of  every  nerve.  Even  the  sense  of  outraged  trust,  of  be- 
trayed hope  and  love  and  all  tender  emotions,  scarcely 
moved  her.  She  bowed  her  head  to  the  storm,  and  let 
the  waves  sweep  over  her,  half  wishing  they  might  drift 
her  to  some  kinder  shore. 

Clement  made  some  inquiry  as  they  took  their  places  at 
the  table,  but  Mrs.  Ashburton's  grave  reply  hushed  present 
inquiry.  They  were  not  prepared  for  the  story  she  had 
to  tell  them,  it  appeared  so  utterly  incredible  at  first. 

"  Then  she  was  not  with  him  at  the  time  ? "  Clement 
remarked. 

"  No.  She  heard  of  his  injury  and  illness,  but  it  was 
difficult  to  leave  her  school,  and  the  letter  she  sent  was 
returned  to  her  with  the  announcement  of  his  death." 

"  Then  he  must  have  known  of  it.  I  am  not  sure  that 
the  law  can  hold  her  as  his  wife  if  she  wishes  for  freedom. 
At  all  events  he  has  forfeited  his  claim  upon  her." 

Madge  was  in  the  wildest  consternation,  and  espoused 
Clement's  views  warmly.  That  Eleanor  should  be  made 
•o  Buffer  anew  appeared  unpardonably  cruel. 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTE  345 

"We  must  hear  more  about  it  befoie  we  can  judge 
clearly,"  said  Mr.  Ashburton.  "  These  questions  are  too 
momentous  for  a  hasty  decision." 

Mr.  Wyverne  called  that  evening.  Madge  ran  up  to 
Eleanor  for  counsel. 

"  I  cannot  see  him,"  was  the  sad  answer.  u  Ask  him  to 
send  Clara  to  me  to-morrow.  O,  Madge  ! " 

"  It  is  too  hard,  Nelly ; "  and  the  aching  temples  were 
pressed  against  the  warm,  fond  heart.  "  Must  it  be  ?  Is  it 
necessary  to  give  him  up,  and  he  so  good,  so  noble,  so 
capable  of  making  a  happy  home  ?  " 

«  Child,  don't  tempt  me  ! " 

Eleanor's  voice  was  husky,  and  the  feverish  hands  shook 
in  the  fond  clasp. 

"  Go.  Don't  tell  him  to-night.  Clara  may  think  of  a 
better  way." 

Then  she  was  left  alone  again  until  her  mother  crept 
softly  in  through  the  darkness  to  comfort  her,  as  only  a 
heart  so  faithful  and  tender  can  comfort. 

Madge  went  slowly  down  to  Mr.  Wyverne.  She  had 
told  him  a  few  moments  before  that  Eleanor  was  ill  with  a 
headache.  Now  she  said,  — 

w  She  must  be  excused  this  evening.  And  she  begs  you 
to  ask  Clara  to  come  over  as  early  as  she  can  to-morrow 
morning." 

"  Madge,"  he  exclaimed,  with  the  quick  alarm  of  love, 
"  you  do  not  apprehend  a  serious  illness.  I  surely  have  a 
right  to  know." 

He  was  watching  her  so  closely  that  she  colored  under 
the  scrutiny  in  spite  of  her  effort  to  appear  calm. 

"  It  is  not  illuess,"  she  returned,  hurriedly ;  "  that 
is  —  she  will  be  well  again  in  a  day  or  two,  and  can 
explain  all." 

"  What  is  there  for  her  to  explain  ? "  and  he  smiled, 
with  a  touch  of  humor.  "  Do  you  suppose  I  am  going  to 
be  such  a  tyrant  that  she  will  have  to  account  for  a  simple 
beadache?" 


346  HOME  NOOK,   OR 

Madge  laughed  at  the  absurdity,  though  the  tears  in 
her  throat  almost  choked  her.  How  cruel  that  Mr.  Wy- 
verne's  hopes  should  be  dashed  to  the  ground  in  an 
instant !  She  had  taken  so  much  pride  and  enjoyment  in 
thinking  of  Eleanor's  future,  and  her  affection  for  Mr. 
Wyverne  was  full  of  sisterly  strength. 

He  remarked  presently  that  she  seemed  absent  and 
strangely  excited,  and  after  leaving  many  kind  messages 
for  Eleanor,  bade  Madge  a  kind  good  night. 

"  O,"  she  exclaimed  to  Rose,  in  tones  of  anguish,  "  how 
can  he  ever  be  told  !  And  it  is  no  fault  of  his" 

"  This  Copeland  has  been  a  villain  all  the  way  through  ! " 
declared  Clement,  indignantly.  "  He  will  find  there  are 
some  deeds  that  cannot  be  easily  forgiven.  And  she  is  by 
no  means  friendless." 

When  Eleanor  arose  the  next  morning,  it  seemed  as  if 
phe  had  undergone  a  long  fit  of  illness.  Her  limbs  still 
tottered  at  every  step,  and  her  head  was  dizzy  with  the 
confusion  of  thought.  But,  ah,  how  kind  and  generous 
they  all  were !  If  she  had  been  so  fond  of  them  years  ago, 
this  might  never  have  happened. 

"Circumstances  must  guide  me,"  she  said,  feebly,  in  an- 
swer to  the  arguments  of  the  others.  "Of  only  one  thing 
do  I  feel  certain.  I  am  Gerald  Copeland's  wife,  and  while 
he  lives  I  can  be  the  lawful  wife  of  no  other." 

All  through  her  sleepless  night  she  had  been  making 
this  resolve,  and  now  she  uttered  it  with  a  certain  haste, 
lest  she  might  be  tempted  to  weakness. 

«O,  Nelly  1" 

"  But  he  has  forfeited  all  right  —  " 

"I  married  him  of  ray  own  free  will  —  I  can  never  for- 
get that;"  and  Eleanor's  quivering  voice  touched  each 
heart.  "He  is  Greta's  father,  and  I  have  no  power  to  set 
aside  her  claim  from  any  selfish  consideration.  If  I  had 
been  braver  and  truer  in  those  girlish  days,  this  might  not 
have  conie  upon  me.  But  now  I  desire  to  do  only  that 
which  is  right." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  847 

"  The  law  might  give  you  liberty  —  " 

Clement's  sense  of  the  cowardly  injustice  Eleanor's  hus- 
band had  dealt  to  her  roused  his  warm  impulses. 

"  I  feel  that  there  is  a  higher  right  than  mere  human 
law." 

Her  voice  was  very  faint,  and  the  pale  lips  quivered. 

"You  surely  do  not  mean  to  go  back  to  him  after  thii 
unpardonable  neglect  ?  " 

"I  do  not  know.     I  cannot  think." 

"  We  will  look  at  the  question  in  all  its  bearings  before 
we  decide,"  said  Mr.  Ashburton,  gravely. 

"I  must  see  him.  He  has  asked  for  an  interview,  and 
I  can  judge  better  then  what  his  claim  really  is." 

If  they  could  have  saved  her  any  pang,  how  gladly  they 
would  have  done  it !  All  the  best  hopes  of  her  life  dashed 
down  at  a  single  blow !  for  they  felt  that  her  attachment 
to  Mr.  Wyverne  had  been  true  and  strong,  and  understood 
that  Gerald  Copeland  could  not  win  back  her  heart,  since 
he  had  lost  even  his  light  hold  upon  it.  But  a  fiery  trial 
lay  before  her,  from  which  they  would  fain  have  shield- 
ed her. 

Clara  Wyverne  was  more  deeply  shocked  and  surprised 
than  the  rest  had  been.  She  had  prepared  herself  for 
some  trouble,  but  such  a  blow  was  quite  beyond  the  wild- 
est dream. 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  your  brother,"  Eleanor  said,  amid 
her  tears.  "How  deeply  I  regret  bringing  this  sorrow 
upon  him  and  destroying  his  bright  hopes,  I  can  never 
express  in  words." 

"And  you  think  your  decision  final  in  any  event?" 
questioned  Clara. 

"I  desire  most  of  all  to  do  right.  God  will  bear  me 
witness  that  I  never  had  the  most  remote  idea  that  Mr, 
Copeland  was  still  alive.  But  whether  I  go  back  to  him 
or  not,  I  feel  that  I  have  no  claim  to  any  other  true  and 
honorable  love." 


S48  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

Clara  understood  that  this  was  just,  even  if  painful. 

"I  cannot  distort  any  law  or  reasoning  to  my  own 
purely  selfish  wishes.  God  has  permitted  this  revelation 
just  in  time  to  save  me,  to  save  us  both,  and  I  must  heed 
him.  I  want  to  keep  in  the  shadow  of  his  guidance  and 
protectior,  knowing  then  that  I  cannot  wander  far  astray. 
Of  my  own  pain,  and  shame,  and  suffering,  I  cannot 
apeak." 

Miss  Wyverne  felt  that  she  was  right.  Hard  as  it  was 
to  go  against  the  best  hopes  of  a  lifetime,  there  was  some- 
thing higher  than  mere  personal  desires.  To  be  able  to 
put  away  the  longing,  aching  self,  was  a  victory  more 
noble  than  the  enjoyment  of  happiness. 

"  Will  you  see  him  ?  "     Clara's  tone  was  very  low. 

"Not  at  present;"  and  the  pale  lips  quivered.  "I 
think  he,  too,  will  feel  that  we  shall  be  stronger  to  do 
right  if  we  make  no  compromise  with  wrong.  To  see  his 
pain  would  be  more  than  I  could  bear." 

"  I  believe  it  is  best." 

"  And  I  can  trust  you  to  explain  all.  You  have  been 
too  kind  a  sister  to  me  to  desert  me  in  this  hour  of  need, 
or  make  my  trial  harder  to  bear.  I  will  not  say,  counsel 
him  to  forget  me,  but  let  him  look  upon  me  as  some  friend 
forever  lost  out  of  his  orbit." 

Miss  Wyverne  kissed  her  sadly,  tenderly. 

"  You  are  too  noble  to  have  your  life  blighted  in  this 
manner,"  she  said,  with  deep  emotion. 

"  We  sometimes  suffer  for  old  sins." 

It  was  this  that  gave  Eleanor  much  of  her  courage.  A 
little  through  pride,  and  ambition,  and  weakness,  she  had 
suffered  herself  to  be  misled,  and  now  the  wrong-doing 
had  brought  its  own  downfall  of  tender,  yet  blind  hope. 
Since  she  had  been  satisfied  to  marry  Gerald  Copeland 
without  the  purest  and  highest  love,  she  would  accept  the 
bitter  sacrifice,  take  up  her  burden,  without  casting  about 
for  loopholes  of  escape. 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  349 

**  I  want  to  say  one  thing,"  Miss  Wy  verne  began,  after  a 
long  pause.  "You  have  had  my  brother's  entire  lo\e. 
No  woman  ever  came  very  near  his  heart  before,  though 
he  admires  and  reverences  the  sex.  I  think  from  the  first 
you  both  suited,  harmonized.  It  is  quite  possible  for  peo- 
ple to  love  who  cannot  render  each  other  happy,  who 
cannot  go  to  the  depth  or  breadth  of  the  other  soul,  and 
this  rare  appreciation  was  my  great  pleasure  in  you  both. 
It  would  have  been  such  a  happy  marriage !  and  Heaven 
knows  they  are  sadly  needed  in  this  world." 

"O,  don't!"  pleaded  Eleanor,  in  anguish. 

"  Forgive  the  pain,  dearest  friend.  But  I  must  say  & 
little  more.  I  understand  him  so  well !  It  may  be  a  com 
fort  in  some  hard  moment  to  know  that  through  the  year* 
to  come  his  steadfast  soul  will  never  waver.  He  will  see, 
as  you  do,  that  the  bar  between  is  of  higher  making  than 
man's;  but  no  other  will  ever  fill  your  place.  It  will 
always  be  sacred." 

Eleanor  pressed  the  hand,  but  dared  not  speak.  And 
yet  she  was  inexpressibly  comforted.  Both  her  lover  and 
Clara  recognized  the  higher  right ;  they  would  not  tempt 
her  by  weak  human  persuasions. 

"You  will  not  shut  me  out?"  Clara  said,  softly.  "Let 
me  keep  the  sister's  place  that  I  was  to  have.  At  present 
my  coming  might  be  productive  of  pain,  but  when  you 
have  resolved  upon  your  course,  let  me  come  and  share 
some  of  the  burdens.  I  never  had  a  sister  of  my  own, 
and  you  are  doubly  dear  to  me." 

Eleanor  could  only  sob  out  her  thanks  for  the  tender- 
ness and  the  delicacy. 

The  parting  between  the  two  was  sad  indeed,  but 
Clara's  friendship  was  true  and  strong.  Perhaps  Eleanor, 
in  her  depths  of  anguish,  hardly  realized  what  bridges  of 
tender  trust  a  woman's  affection  might  rear  for  trembling, 
clinging  souls  to  walk  over. 

M  But  it  is  so  hard ! "  Madge  exclaimed  afterwards.  tt  I 
cannot  make  it  right  or  just." 


850  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  I  think  God  teaches  us,  by  slow  degrees,  that  this  is 
just  what  he  does  not  want  us  to  do.  He  has  made  the 
right  and  wrong  already.  When  we  go  astray,  he  bids  us 
bear  the  punishment  of  it,  and  not  question  the  wisdom, 
We  are  not  to  form  laws  for  ourselves." 

Madge  was  silent,  though  her  tears  dropped  quietly. 

"  I  am  thankful  that  Mr.  Copeland  came  back  in  time  to 
prevent  any  complication." 

"  But  if  he  had  never  come  at  all  I " 

Eleanor  shivered. 

And  now  that  one  painful  duty  was  over,  Eleanor 
nerved  herself  for  another.  The  whole  household  had 
objected  strongly  to  her  again  placing  herself  under  Gerald 
Copeland's  protection.  Clement  had  insisted  that  his 
home  should  be  hers,  and  Rose  had  joined  him  most  cor- 
dially. 

Eleanor  made  several  attempts  to  write  to  Mr.  Cope- 
land,  but  the  words  would  not  come  at  her  desire.  It  did 
seem  best  that  she  should  grant  the  interview  he  asked, 
allow  him  to  tell  his  story,  and  listen  to  the  justification  he 
might  offer,  if  any  were  possible.  For  it  appeared  to  her 
that  the  letter  could  not  have  been  returned  without  hia 
knowledge. 

She  finally  sent  a  brief  note,  stating  that  he  could  see 
her  at  Home  Nook,  in  her  father's  house,  if  he  was  still 
desirous,  on  second  thoughts,  that  the  meeting  should  take 
place. 

Ward  Graham  and  Jessie  were  not  behind  in  tender 
sympathy.  They,  too,  had  been  fairly  stunned  with  the 
first  tidings.  Ward  inclined  to  Clement's  view  of  the 
matter.  Mr.  Copeland  had  forfeited  all  right  to  her,  and, 
no  doubt,  sufficient  proofs  could  be  found  to  procure  her  an 
honorable  freedom. 

He  had  interested  himself  in  making  minute  inquiries, 
and  found  that  Mr.  Copeland's  record  had  not  stood  fair 
from  the  beginning.  The  small  fortune  inherited  from  his 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  351 

parents  had  been  squandered,  and  by  the  time  his  uncle's 
handsome  legacy  reached  him  he  was  deeply  in  debt. 
Shortly  after  this  he  had  met  Eleanor  Ashburton.  To  do 
Mrs.  Waltham  justice,  she  had  not  heard  the  darker  side 
of  the  story.  He  was  well  connected,  and  no  worse  than 
the  majority  of  idle  young  men.  A  wife  would  give  him 
jnst  the  tone  and  steadiness  that  he  needed. 

She  reasoned  that  the  marriage  would  be  a  good  thing 
for  him  as  well  as  for  Eleanor.  But  he  would  not  have 
taken  a  penniless  girl.  The  false  impression  given  by 
Mrs.  Waltham  had  decided  the  matter. 

An  elderly  maiden  aunt  had  endowed  him  a  third  time. 
The  will  had  been  made  before  his  supposed  death,  and 
never  altered.  By  the  merest  accident  he  had  heard  of  it, 
and  presented  his  claim. 

"He  is  a  spendthrift,"  Mr  Graham  declared.  "It  will 
not  do  for  Eleanor  to  put  faith  in  any  of  his  promises.  In 
a  few  years  she  would  find  herself  reduced  to  poverty 
again." 

Eleanor  Copeland  waited  in  a  strange  mood  for  the 
coming  of  the  man  who  had  been  her  husband.  The  very 
thought  of  him  made  her  shiver.  They  had  parted  coldly 
the  last  time.  She,  in  a  moment  of  indignation  and 
energy,  had  declared  that  she  would  a  thousand  times 
sooner  support  herself  and  her  child  by  her  own  labor 
than  share  the  uncertain  and  degrading  pittance  of  a  gam- 
bler. But  how  would  they  meet  now  ? 

A  man  with  a  subtler  sense  of  refinement  and  delicacy 
would  have  hesitated  a  long  while  before  intruding  upon 
the  woman  he  had  wronged  in  so  many  respects.  But  in 
Mr.  Copeland's  narrow  and  commonplace  estimation, 
money  covered  a  multitude  of  sins.  He  judged  Eleanor 
by  his  own  view  of  the  world,  not  from  anything  that  he 
had  ever  learned  of  her  character.  In  his  mere  material 
opinion  she  would  be  glad  to  give  up  her  life  of  toil,  and, 
perhaps,  dependence  upon  her  relations,  for  the  compara- 
tive comfort  he  was  able  to  offer  her  again. 


852  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

That  there  were  some  black  facts  in  the  past  he  could 
not  deny  to  himself,  but  he  meant  to  gloss  them  over.  He 
had  no  such  special  regard  for  the  truth  that  he  would  be 
likely  to  hesitate  at  any  small  infraction ;  besides,  he  had 
one  of  those  natures  in  which  strong  desire  outruns  purer 
motives.  His  wish  to  present  a  matter  in  a  certain  light 
nearly  always  made  it  appear  so  to  him  in  the  end. 

So  it  happened  that  he  was  much  more  cairn  and  assured 
when  he  presented  himself  at  Home  Nook  than  she  who 
had  been  so  sinned  against,  and  was  so  earnestly  striving 
to  do  her  duty.  It  is  not  always  the  most  blameless  con- 
science that  is  entirely  at  ease. 

She  came  down  tremblingly.  How  much  both  had 
changed  in  these  few  years!  For  Eleanor  carried  the 
impress  of  a  pure,  high  soul  in  her  face,  and  her  steadfast 
eyes,  that  had  wept  so  many  bitter  tears,  were  grave  and 
clear,  so  sure  to  detect  insincerity  that  he  winced  under 
their  first  slow  moving  glance. 

He  had  grown  old  rapidly.  The  boyish  beauty  and 
freshness  had  disappeared,  and  in  the  sallow  complexion, 
sunken  eyes,  and  generally  wasted  appearance,  one  could 
read  marks  of  dissipation  and  neglect.  Was  she  to  blame 
that  she  shrank  from  him,  that  no  old  chord  of  tenderness 
was  awakened  ? 

He  reached  out  his  hand. 

"Eleanor,"  he  said,  with  a  strange  fear  and  trembling, 
quailing  before  the  dignity  and  purity  of  the  woman  who 
had  gone  so  far  beyond  him  when  left  to  herself. 

She  took  the  hand  coldly.  Every  instinct  within  her 
seemed  roused  to  aversion.  He  could  not  help  remarking 
the  slight  shudder. 

"O,"  he  exclaimed,  with  sudden  vehemence,  "you 
will  not  be  hard  and  cruel,  Eleanor,  when  I  need  you  so 
much !  That  I  wronged  you  deeply,  I  confess ;  but  I 
desire  an  opportunity  to  make  amends.  It  is  in  my 
power  now.** 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  353 

She  motioned  him  to  a  seat.  Somehow  she  was  hardly 
prepared  for  this  fervent  pleading. 

"That  there  are  some  explanations  due  me  you  must 
admit,"  she  answered,  slowly.  "Upon  hearing  of  your 
danger  I  sent  a  letter,  which  was  returned  to  me  unopened, 
with  the  announcement  of  your  death.  Friendless  and 
almost  penniless  in  a  strange  land,  what  could  I  do  but 
return  to  my  patents,  who,  in  the  depths  of  misfortune 
and  distress,  generously  gave  me  a  shelter?  You  provided 
for  me  out  of  your  abundance,  they  of  their  poverty  and 
self-denial.  Judge  to  whom  I  owe  the  highest  duty  and 
gratitude." 

A  dull  flush  suffused  his  pale  face  as  he  glanced  at  her 
in  amazement,  every  nerve  quivering  at  the  sound  of  her 
clear,  calm  voice,  more  forcible  than  the  bitterest  up- 
braiding. 

"I  was  thought  dead  at  the  hospital,"  he  began.  "It 
must  have  been  during  this  time  that  your  letter  came." 

"But  how  could  they  have  known  my  address?" 

There  was  no  evading  her  with  a  clumsy  excuse.  His 
justification  was  weak  at  the  best,  but  he  was  quite  ready 
to  patch  it  up  with  any  convenient  falsehood. 

"The  nurse  knew.  I  asked  her  to  write  one  day;" 
which  was  true  enough.  "  I  am  quite  sure  she  directed 
an  envelope.  But  she  was  called  away  then,  and  I  re- 
member nothing  for  long  afterwards.  My  recovery  was 
very  tedious.  I  wrote  to  you  as  soon  as  I  could,  but 
received  no  answer.  When  I  was  strong  enough  I  went 
to  Brussels,  for  I  was  longing  to  see  you  and  our  child ; 
but  you  had  returned  to  America." 

She  would  never  be  able  to  know  how  much  of  this  was 
true.  Perhaps  she  had  been  too  glad  of  her  freedom —  ac- 
cepted it  with  unwise  haste. 

"But  here  are  the   years  between.     Did  you  care  so 
little  whether  I  were  living  or  dead  that  you  never  made 
an  inquiry  until  now  ?  " 
23 


864  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

"I  knew  you  were  with  your  relatives,  happier,  nc 
doubt,  than  I  could  have  made  you  then.  I  would  not 
drag  you  back  to  ray  poverty.  When  I  had  gained  a  little 
something  I  meant  to  seek  you ;  but  I  was  unlucky  in 
everything  I  undertook.  But  when  the  news  of  this 
fortune  reached  me,  my  first  thought  was  of  you.  O, 
Eleanor,  I  want  you  to  believe  that !  I  ask  you  to  share 
comfort  and  ease  with  me.  I  am  a  changed  man.  I  have 
given  up  the  fatal  evil  which  brought  us  both  so  much 
misery.  You  shall  have  nothing  to  complain  of  in  the 
future.  Only  come  back  to  me.  God  knows  that  I  never 
grudged  you  anything  when  I  had  it,  and  you  shall  have 
all  now,  to  do  just  as  you  like." 

He  broke  into  a  fit  of  weak  crying  —  not  the  deep  sobs 
that  shake  a  man  to  the  living  centres,  but  a  kind  of  dis- 
appointed, impatient  sorrow,  as  if  she  wronged  him  by  her 
greater  dignity. 

Were  these  protestations  love  ?  Could  he  neglect  her, 
leave  her  to  want,  and  suffering,  and  a  danger  like  that  she 
had  so  narrowly  escaped,  and  fancy  that  a  few  tears  and  a 
little  pathetic  repentance  could  make  amends?  She  saw 
clearly  the  shallowness  and  selfish  under-current  of  his 
soul,  and  turned  away  sick  at  heart. 

"I  have  a  story  to  tell  you  also,"  she  said  when  she 
could  command  her  voice.  "  If  it  excites  your  anger  and 
blame,  remember  that  your  silence  and  absence  have  led 
to  this  fatal  result." 

Briefly,  yet  with  a  certain  unconscious  pathos,  she  con- 
fessed the  pleasant  friendship  that  had  so  recently  ripened 
into  an  engagement.  He  suffered  through  his  narrow 
groundless  jealousy  and  fear  of  loss  only,  for  he  was  in- 
capable of  anything  higher.  The  years  that  had  gone  on 
ennobling  her  had  done  little  for  him,  since  his  associates 
and  habits  had  verged  towards  the  lowest. 

"But  my  claim  is  the  strongest,  Eleanor;  you  must 
admit  that,"  he  interrupted,  impatiently. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  355 

u  Whatever  claim  or  right  Mr.  Wyverne  had,  ended  on 
the  day  I  received  your  letter.  I  shall  never  see  him 
again  willingly  until  we  can  meet  as  the  commonest  of 
friends.  You  have  nothing  to  fear  from  that  unfortunate 
episode." 

Were  the  lesson  and  the  contrast  nothing  ? 

He  went  on  with  his  entreaties.  Her  beauty  and  grace, 
her  sad  dignity  and  quiet  manner,  that  did  not  utterly 
repel,  woke  the  old,  impulsive  tenderness  that  she  had 
mistaken  for  love  before.  He  might  deceive  himself,  but 
she  had  grown  too  surely  wise  to  be  blinded  by  this 
specious  fondness.  She  had  learned  by  sad  experience  to 
distinguish  between  the  real  and  the  counterfeit. 

"  But  I  am  your  true  and  lawful  husband,"  he  ex- 
claimed. u  You  cannot  deny  that.  Your  friends  may 
seek  to  prejudice  you  against  me,  or  you  may  —  " 

She  checked  him  there  with  her  glance  of  conscious 
rectitude. 

"  Whatever  step  I  may  take  in  the  future,  I  want  you 
to  understand  that  Mr.  Wyveme  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  it.  While  you  live,  I  shall  not  be  the  wife  of  any 
other  man,  even  if  the  law  set  me  free  to-morrow.  I  hope 
you  have  still  sufficient  manliness  to  feel  that  I  shall  try 
to  do  what  is  right,  irrespective  of  any  weak  or  selfish 
desire." 

He  studied  her  with  a  startled  look.  Was  there  some 
depth  in  her  soul  that  he  had  never  fathomed?  Was 
there  a  knowledge  beyond  his  comprehension,  even  ? 

He  had  counted  on  the  new  fortune  being  liis  most 
effectual  ally,  and  that  she  should  treat  his  offer  to  release 
her  from  toil  with  indifference,  amazed  him.  He  had 
judged  her  by  his  own  narrow,  selfish,  indolent  nature. 
And  now,  although  her  truth  and  dignity  held  him,  out- 
wardly, in  awe,  he  was,  at  heart,  afraid  of  his  rival.  But 
he  did  not  clare  threaten ;  so  he  had  recourse  to  pleading 
again. 


356  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

"Give  me  time,"  she  said  at  last,  torn  by  conflicting 
thoughts,  and  the  fear  of  judging  too  severely.  "I  can 
decide  upon  nothing  immediately.  Leave  me  to  think  it 
over  by  myself.  You  will  hear  from  me  when  I  have 
resolved  upon  anything  definite.  And  now  let  as  end 
this  painful  interview." 

Her  pale  face  and  strained,  sorrowful  eyes  moved  him. 
He  came  forward  and  would  have  clasped  her  in  his  arms, 
but  she  shrank  back ;  so  he  had  to  content  himself  with 
kissing  the  cold  lips. 

"  You  will  forgive,"  he  said.  "  You  will  give  me  an- 
other chance !  For  now,  Eleanor,  I  could  make  you  so 
much  happier  !  Can  you  refuse  to  try  ? " 

"  If  I  only  knew  what  was  right,  or  what  might  be  de- 
manded of  me,'  she  said,  wearily,  finding  refuge  at  last  on 
her  mother's  faithful  heart.  "  For  while  my  forgiveness  is 
pardoning  all  past  acts  that  have  pained  or  injured  me,  he 
makes  it  comprehend  the  future.  How  can  I  bring  myself 
to  accept  life  with  him  ?  n 

"  It  is  one  of  those  matters  that  cannot  be  settled  with 
an  hour's  talk,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton.  "  If  you  still  loved 
him!" 

"  Ah,  mamma,  that  is  one  of  the  bitterest  dregs  in  this 
hopeless  cup.  I  cannot  shut  my  eyes  to  what  I  have 
known.  I  cannot  put  the  false  for  the  true.  I  have  had 
a  glimpse  of  blessedness  such  as  I  hardly  dreamed  of  in 
my  girlhood.  Jessie's  happy  marriage,  and  intimate  con- 
tact with  two  such  men  as  Mr.  Graham  and  Mr.  Wyverne, 
have  opened  my  blind  eyes.  I  should  be  ashamed  now  to 
bring  Gerald  Copeland  in  our  midst,  to  ask  Clement  or 
Philip  to  receive  him  as  a  brother." 

"  With  these  feelings  it  is  hardly  right  to  attempt  life 
with  him.  There  is  a  limit  to  human  endurance." 

"  I  have  tried  in  vain  to  think  that  I  could  love  him 
once  more.  I  cannot!"  and  Eleanor  shuddered  with 
aversion. 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  357 

After  a  few  days  she  resumed  her  wonted  duties.  By 
day  and  by  night  she  seemed  as  if  girt  by  fire.  To  see  on 
the  one  hand  the  sweet  and  ennobling  life,  the  richness  of 
love  and  truth  that  she  had  but  just  touched,  like  the  hem 
of  a  garment,  and  been  made  whole ;  yet  to  understand 
that  the  healing  in  its  most  joyous  and  comprehensive 
sense  was  not  for  her ;  to  be  thrust  back  to  the  wilderness 
of  doubt  and  perplexity,  her  whole  future  irrevocably  shad- 
owed,—  appeared  at  times  more  than  she  could  endure. 

But  she  was  not  to  be  left  in  peace.  Gerald's  friends 
and  relatives,  who  had  paid  her  no  attention  beyond  their 
first  visit  of  condolence,  became  aware  pf  her  existence. 
One  cousin,  who  had  been  very  attentive  during  the  mar- 
riage, visited  her  now  on  Gerald's  behalf,  and  insisted  that 
his  conduct  had  been  really  noble. 

"That  he  should  have  been  content  to  live  in  silence 
and  obscurity  while  he  could  do  nothing  for  you,  and  come 
to  you  the  instant  he  had  anything  to  share,  is  to  me  a 
proof  of  the  utmost  devotion.  Perhaps  his  remaining 
abroad  was  the  best  thing  he  could  do  after  that  fatal 
misunderstanding." 

"  It  might  appear  so  to  some  women,"  Eleanor  respond- 
ed ;  "  but  before  that  I  had  to  support  myself  and  my 
child.  He  squandered  his  fortune  recklessly,  he  spent 
night  after  night  at  the  gaming  table  — " 

"  You  must  let  by-gones  be  by-gones.  Gerald  was  a  little 
imprudent,  we  all  know,  but  he  has  reformed  entirely. 
Yet  if  you  throw  him  off,  who  can  answer  for  his  future  ? 
Is  it  not  sending  him  to  ruin  ?" 

"  He  did  not  think  of  that  when  he  left  me  to  struggle 
alone,"  Eleanor  answered,  with  dignity. 

"My  dear,  women  have  more  resources  and  fewer 
temptations,  and  a  man  is  peculiarly  dependent  up  an  his 
wife.  For  disguise  it  as  you  may,  you  are  his  wife.  I 
dare  say  you  were  very  well  satisfied  to  marry  him.  I 
thought  it  a  perfect  love  match  on  both  sides,  for  you 


358  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

know  in  his  position  he  might  have  married  a  much  richer 
woman." 

Eleanor  winced  at  all  this. 

"And  you  know  separations,  even  on  the  best  of 
grounds,  always  create  a  wonderment  and  scandal.  I 
desire  to  see  Gerald  happy  while  he  does  live,  for  I  doubt 
if  it  is  a  great  while  ; "  and  the  lady  sighed.  "  We  all  want 
you  to  come  down  for  a  visit  at  our  house,  where,  I  think, 
the  matter  can  be  amicably  arranged.  Mr.  Mountjoy  ia 
exceedingly  desirous  on  Gerald's  account,  and  to  me  he  ia 
a  very  dear  cousin,  as  you  can  hardly  doubt.  My  best 
wishes  are  for  your  welfare." 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  returned  Eleanor.  "  I  have  been 
BO  racked  and  tossed  about  with  conflicting  emotions  that 
I  feel  myself  utterly  incapable  of  a  decision  at  present." 

Mrs.  Mountjoy  kissed  her  with  much  warmth,  and  reit- 
erated her  invitation.  No  wonder  Eleanor  shrank  from 
these  hollow  professions.  Had  she,  indeed,  held  the  great 
world  of  society  in  such  fear  and  esteem  only  a  few  years 
agone  ?  Aunt  Waltham's  golden  idol,  whose  feet  of  clay 
crushed  out  all  high  and  noble  aspirations  —  must  it 
choose  for  her  again  ? 

Her  own  family  strongly  negatived  every  proposal  of 
Gerald  Copeland's. 

"  We  can  never  receive  him  as  a  brother,"  said  Clem- 
ent, decisively.  "  He  has  wronged  and  neglected  you,  and 
allowed  you  to  return  home  destitute  and  forsaken.  More 
than  all,  he  must  have  known  that  a  young  and  attractive 
woman  might  have  opportunities  for  a  second  marriage, 
I  call  it  the  refinement  of  cruelty  ! " 

"  I  do  not  believe  he  ever  thought  of  such  a  contin- 
gency," said  Mr.  Ashburton,  more  temperately. 

"  Which  shows  his  utter  selfishness.  He  did  not  want 
to  be  burdened  with  her  and  the  child  then.  Father,  I 
cannot  gloss  over  such  unmanly  cowardice.  We  must  not 
pervert  truth.  Honor,  and  right,  and  justice,  are  alwayi 
the  same." 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  859 

«*True,  my  son,  and  yet  it  is  our  duty  to  give  him  the 
benefit  of  the  widest  charity.  Still  I  should  be  most  sorry 
to  deliver  Eleanor  a  second  time  into  his  keeping.  It  is 
my  continual  regret  that  he  ever  had  a  claim  upon  her." 

Eleanor  crossed  the  room,  and  clasped  her  arms  around 
her  father's  neck. 

"  Dear  papa,"  she  said,  "  no  one  shall  be  blamed  for  my 
gad  mistake.  I  believe  in  those  early  days  I  felt  proud 
of  my  own  strength  and  judgment.  I  thought  I  could 
weigh,  decide,  and  understand  clearly.  I  was  quite  suffi- 
cient for  myself.  I  am  afraid  my  vanity  led  me  into  a 
false  and  dangerous  estimate  of  my  own  powers,  so  that 
I  was  the  more  easily  led  astray  by  counsel  that  appealed 
to  my  self-love.  If  I  had  been  brave  enough  to  face  cir- 
cumstances. But  I  was  not,  and  had  to  learn  much  by 
bitter  experience.  I  loved  no  one  else,  and  I  did  like 
Gerald  Copeland.  His  desiring  to  marry  me  in  spite  of  the 
reverse  of  fortune  appeared  particularly  noble.  He  seemed 
to  care  a  great  deal  for  me ;  in  short,  worshipped  me  ; 
but  I  feel  now  that  it  was  not  any  individual  quality  in 
my  nature  or  soul.  But  if  he  had  remained  that  tender, 
I  should  have  gone  on,  and  been  a  comparatively  happy 
wife,  not  missing,  because  not  realizing,  the  higher  bliss, 
On  one  point  my  conscience  is  clear.  When  I  understood 
how  little  love  I  had  to  help  me,  I  was  all  the  more  ear- 
nest to  do  my  whole  duty.  God  knows  how  many  times 
I  thrust  back  the  angry  response,  was  patient,  quiet,  ready 
to  be  entertaining  and  affectionate,  and  beguile  him  from 
his  evil  ways.  I  felt  that  some  other  woman  might  have 
loved  him  dearly,  and  I  resolved  that  he  should  never 
miss  any  tenderness  on  my  part." 

"  My  own  dear  girl !  You  have  indeed  gone  through 
the  refining  process." 

Eleanor  brushed  away  the  glittering  tears. 

"Perhips  I  needed  it.  God  has  taken  thousands  of 
years  in  his  processes  to  bring  one  thing  to  perfection. 


360  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

The  'cunning  workmanship  '  may  stand  for  a  higher  type 
than  we  know  in  human  souls.  I  felt,  first,  that  it  was 
exceedingly  bitter  to  have  been  allowed  to  love  Mr.  Wy- 
verne,  since  it  was  not  of  my  very  own  seeking,  yet  I  have 
come  to  some  blessed  truth  even  through  that;"  and  her 
faltering  voice  betrayed  her  deep  emotion. 

"  And  loving  him,  it  appears  a  positive  wrong  to  your- 
self to  go  back  to  Gerald  Copeland,"  declared  Clement. 

"But  I  have  no  right.  No,  don't  tempt  me  —  I  am 
weak  enough  of  myself.  Just  to  have  seen  this  possibility 
and  be  forced  to  put  it  by,  to  go  on  in  blindness  and  dark- 
ness, holding  God's  hand,  and  walking  in  the  path  He 
opens.  I  could  not  feel  free  even  if  the  law  made  me  so." 

Rose  stole  softly  round  and  slipped  her  hand  within 
Eleanor's. 

"  Don't  try  to  persuade  her,"  she  said.  "  The  steadfast 
truth  will  keep  her  soul  pure  and  clean,  and  there  is  a 
peace  promised.  God  does  make  a  way  out  for  those  who 
trust  in  him." 

Eleanor  bent  over  and  kissed  her. 

"  But  she  cannot  go  back,"  persisted  Clement. 

"  God  will  make  it  plain  if  we  wait  a  little." 

"  Rose,  you  are  an  angel ! "  Clement  said.  "  We  all 
need  your  patience." 

Mr.  Wyverne  had  nobly  stepped  out  of  the  complica- 
tion. He  had  found  a  brother  musician  to  supply  his 
place  temporarily,  and  he  and  Clara  had  started  on  a  long 
contemplated  tour,  which  of  late  had  merged  into  his 
dreams  as  that  of  a  happy  bridal.  One  letter  to  Eleanor 
had  explained  his  feelings,  and  kept  both  from  the  pain, 
and,  perhaps,  unwisdom  of  an  interview.  But  he  had  felt 
in  his  first  passionate  sorrow  that  he  could  not  look  upon 
the  sweet  face  he  had  lost  without  seeking  to  bridge  over 
the  way  to  her. 

His  absence,  therefore,  left  her  free  to  come  and  go,  to 
solve  the  sad  problem,  if  it  were  possible,  in  the  way  that 
her  conscience  could  best  approve. 


THE   CKOWN  OF  DUTY.  361 

- 1  feel  that  Eleanor  is  nobly  right,"  Wr.rd  Graham  said. 
"  It  is  hard  to  obey  a  law  when  it  goes  directly  against  all 
our  desires.  And  yet  there  is  too  much  rending  apart 
hastily  of  the  most  sacred  ties.  It  is  for  worse  as  well  as 
better,  and  so  long  as  life  lasts.  We  can  understand  the 
benefit  of  permanence  when  we  look  around  upon  the 
world ;  but  every  one  thinks  his  or  her  case  is  excep- 
tional." 

"They  might  have  been  so  happy!"  returned  Jessie, 
longingly. 

"  Yes,  that  is  where  we  hesitate.  In  our  weak,  short 
sight,  we  consider  happiness  the  greatest  good;  but  it  may 
appear  of  more  worth  to  God  to  let  some  life  be  spent  in 
living  out  a  great  and  noble  truth.  The  remembrance 
of  those  who  fought  a  good  fight  is  like  a  beacon  light 
to  the  world.  It  cheers  feeble  souls  who  are  trembling  in 
the  balance,  and  may  assist  some  other  to  persevere  in  the 
way." 

"  It  is  hard  to  be  the  example  ; "  and  Jessie  smiled 
through  her  tears. 

"Yes,  my  darling;  and  when  we  are  in  the  fullest  enjoy- 
ment of  happiness  it  is  doubly  painful  to  shut  another  out. 
I  wish  to-day  that  Eleanor  were  free,  and  my  sense  of 
justice  rebels  against  Copeland  being  rewarded  for  his 
years  of  dissipation  and  neglect  by  the  care  of  a  pure  and 
noble  woman,  whose  finest  feelings  would  always  be  an  un- 
known language  to  him.  On  the  other  hand,  has  she  a 
perfect  right  to  put  it  out  of  her  power  to  see  and  minister 
unto  him,  if  occasion  should  require  ?  He  has  reformed. 
He  asks  no  outward  sacrifice  of  her.  He  could  render  life 
comparatively  easy  for  her  and  Greta,  and  in  his  weak, 
sentimental  fashion  he  loves  her." 

"  Then  you  think  she  ought  to  return." 

"No,  I  don't  say  that  at  present.  He  is  comfortable 
with  his  cousin,  and  the  idea  is  too  new,  too  absolutejy 
repulsive,  for  her  to  accept  immediately.  I  should  be 


362  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

sorry  to  see  her  thrust  aside  Mr.  Wyverne's  love  so  soou 
God's  times  are  not  as  ours,  and  a  little  waiting  can  work 
no  harm." 

They  all  sympathized  with  Eleanor  in  the  tenderest 
manner.  The  great  anguish  they  could  not  bear,  for  there 
are  sorrowful  gardens  of  the  soul  in  which  one  must  for- 
ever walk  alone ;  but  the  watching  and  the  prayer  may 
be  rendered  more  comforting  by  the  sweet  solace  of  friend- 
ship. He  who  went  before  to  be  our  glorious  ensample 
suffered  it  in  darkness  and  desertion. 


THE  CROWN  OP  DUTY.  368 


CHAPTER  XXVni. 

CONCLUSION. 

THE  vexed  question  was  settled  at  length  by  an  inter- 
position  of  Providence.  Eleanor  seemed  to  have  waited 
breathlessly  for  this  sure  sign. 

They  had  all  spent  a  happy  Christmas-tide  at  home,  the 
children  gathered  in  the  olden  circle  once  more,  even  Philip 
joining  them  for  a  brief  visit.  A  quiet,  heartfelt  happiness 
had  pervaded  each ;  love,  the  outgrowth  of  years  and  ten- 
der development ;  faith,  having  had  her  patient  work,  now 
bringing  forth  fruit. 

Mr.  Wyverne  and  his  sister  had  returned,  and  Clara  had 
taken  the  first  opportunity  to  visit  her  friend.  Eleanor  had 
resigned  her  position  in  the  church  choir,  and  sat  in  the 
old  pew  with  her  parents,  desirous  of  shunning  any  pub- 
licity that  might  lead  to  embarrassment.  And,  indeed, 
much  of  her  time,  latterly,  had  been  spent  with  Jessie,  as 
the  greater  portion  of  her  pupils  were  in  the  city.  Per- 
haps, too,  she  liked  the  strong  influence  of  a  clear-eyed 
man  like  Mr.  Graham,  the  insight  that  took  hold  of  things 
beyond  immediate  grasp. 

Just  after  the  holiday  festivities  Eleanor  received  a  mes- 
sage from  Mr.  Copeland,  and  another  from  Mrs.  Mountjoy, 
begging  her  to  come  immediately,  as  Gerald  was  ill.  This 
she  could  not  refuse. 

She  had  in  a  dim  manner  been  expecting  it,  and  was 
surprised  to  think  how  unconsciously  she  had  held  her- 
self in  readiness.  How  she  had  contested  the  old  ground 
inch  by  inch,  no  one  but  God  would  ever  know.  She  had 
thrust  out  temptations  and  longings  that  were  not  for  her 
She  would  not  fall  again,  willingly. 


364  HOME  NOOK,   OE 

The  natural  consequences  of  an  irregular  and  somewhat 
dissipated  life  began  to  show  themselves,  though  a  severe 
cold  was  the  primary  cause  of  their  present  development 
And  once  in  the  house  with  him,  Eleanor  was  compelled 
to  listen  to  his  never-failing  arguments. 

"I  do  not  see  how  you  can  grudge  me  this  little  comfort, 
Eleanor,"  he  said,  pleadingly.  "It  won't  be  long.  You  and 
the  baby  will  be  left  in  very  comfortable  circumstances*. 
Few  women  would  refuse  so  persistently." 

"I  have  told  you  my  reasons  before,"  she  returned. 
"Gerald,  the  fact  of  your  being  again  independent  does 
not  move  me  at  all.  I  have  taken  care  of  myself  and  Greta 
when  I  was  homeless,  and  now  I  have  friends  who  would 
not  allow  me  to  suffer,  who  would  gladly  relieve  me  from 
all  toil,  but  that  it  is  not  pleasant  for  me  to  be  a  burden 
on  their  kindness.  You  may  measure  your  love  by  youi 
readiness  to  provide  for  me  now,  but  —  " 

"  What  is  the  use  of  flinging  that  forever  in  a  man's 
teeth  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  impatiently.  "  I  meant  to  do  the 
best.  You  said  you  would  not  live  on  the  money  earned 
in  that  way.  It  was  my  only  resource." 

"  Yes,  I  had  a  horror  of  it  always.  It  seems  to  me 
like  downright  robbery,  and  it  was  the  wages  of  sin." 

"  We'll  let  all  that  go.  I've  given  it  up.  I  shall  never 
play  for  any  stake  again.  Though,  for  that  matter,  I  had 
a  right  to  some  of  it.  I  lost  enough,  surely ; "  with  a  grim 
emile. 

"  I  do  not  wish  you  to  think  that  any  money  could  buy 
me  back.  I  might  be  convinced  that  it  was  my  duty. 
When  I  hesitate,  it  is  because  I  feel  that  the  old  love  I 
once  had  for  you  is  dead  beyond  a  peradventure.  I  have 
tried,  but  I  cannot  even  galvanize  it  into  false  life.  I  could 
be  your  nurse,  your  friend ;  I  could  be  patient,  and  kind, 
and  attentive,  but  —  "  and  she  shivered  a  little. 

"  Well,  I  am  willing  to  take  anything,"  he  said,  pettishly. 
"  I  love  you  well  enough  to  want  you  on  any  terms.  And 
I  must  have  my  child." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  365 

Love !  Did  the  man,  in  his  blindness,  think  he  under 
stood  the  word  in  all  its  fullness,  in  its  out  giving,  self 
denying  capacity  ?  Her  deeper  experience  filled  her  with 
something  like  scorn,  almost  —  for  the  impatience  was 
checked,  and  the  tender  sense  returned.  If  the  man  was 
not  capable  of  anything  higher  and  loftier  — 

"  Yes,  you  are  full  of  the  new  ideas  —  affinities,  and 
all  that.  I'd  be  satisfied  with  just  the  plain  old  love. 
You  did  care  for  me  once  ! " 

"  I  did  mean  to  be  a  true  and  tender  wife.  O,  Gerald, 
can  you  not  understand  that  you  let  it  burn  out —  that  you 
threw  it  from  you  as  a  thing  of  no  value  ?  It  is  my  mis. 
fortune  that  I  cannot  love  through  so  much,  that  I  cannot 
be  thrust  out  and  taken  back;  starved,  and  then  restored 
by  repletion.  That  is  my  nature.  I  suppose  I  cannot 
alter  it  any  more  than  you  can  yours." 

"  But  I  am  willing  to  forget  it  all." 

Was  he  so  much  more  generous  than  she  ?  A  careless 
observer  might  have  thought  so.  And  yet  he  would  do 
little,  thoughtless  deeds  hourly  to  pain  her,  while  she  would 
carefully  abstain  from  even  these  petty  crosses.  They 
were  unlike  in  the  beginning,  and  had  drifted  farther  apart 
with  every  tide. 

Could  she  consent?  Could  she  take  up  the  life,  and  be 
true  to  it  in  thought  as  well  as  deed,  not  hungering  for  the 
greater  happiness  that  might  have  been  hers? 

"  O,  God,"  she  cried,  "  show  me  the  right  way  !  If  it  be 
over  thorns  I  will  still  walk  in  it." 

Then  she  decided,  suddenly,  one  day,  and  her  heart 
seemed  at  rest. 

"Gerald,"  she  said,  "  I  will  come  back  to  you.  I  will  do 
whatever  I  can  to  make  your  life  happy.  If  I  am  less 
bright  than  formerly,  you  must  remember  that  my  expe- 
rience has  not  been  of  the  kind  to  make  or  keep  me 
ioyful." 

a  I  shall  not  bother  about  that,"  he  made  answer,  grasp 


866  HOME  NOOK,  OB 

ing  at  her  hands  and  kissing  them  in  a  hungry  fashion. 
"  You  will  love  me,  I  know,  when  we  once  get  settled. 
Why,  it  will  be  like  beginning  a  new  life  I " 

The  wistful,  half-incredulous  pleasure  lighting  up  hig 
face  sent  a  chill  to  her  heart.  Could  she  make  him  happy? 

"  You  are  in  earnest  ?  " 

"  God  helping  me,  I  will  do  my  best,"  she  answered, 
solemnly. 

"  It  was  made  so  clear  to  me  that  I  could  not  refuse," 
she  said  to  her  mother.  "I  prayed  earnestly,  and  the 
light  came.  I  have  only  to  follow  it,  trusting  in  God." 

They  were  all  a  little  disappointed  for  her  that  her  des- 
tiny should  have  been  made  so  clearly  manifest.  Yet  it 
was  too  great  a  question  to  be  covered  over  with  specious 
reasoning,  or  thrust  out  by  careless  hands.  And  she  was 
not  one  to  pass  by  on  the  other  side. 

To  Clara  Wyverne  she  did  open  her  heart.  To  be  mis- 
understood by  the  man  who  had  once  read  her  very  soul, 
who  could  have  ministered  to  the  finest  impulse  of  her 
nature,  was  too  great  a  sacrifice  even  of  her  lofty  self- 
denial.  She  knew  that  the  confidence  would  be  appre- 
ciated, and  taken  just  as  she  gave  it.  Then  she  bent  all 
her  energies  to  her  new  life. 

Mrs.  Mountjoy  was  one  of  those  women  who  are  de- 
lighted to  be  deep  in  the  affairs  of  other  people ;  planning, 
managing,  and  sometimes  stirring  up  strife,  more  through 
ignorance  than  ill-will,  however.  Now  she  was  delighted 
with  the  success  of  her  endeavor;  but  her  counsel  was  in- 
exhaustible. 

"  It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  go  to  housekeeping,"  she 
said,  with  the  utmost  complacency.  "  You  can  be  as  com- 
fortable, and  have  much  less  care,  by  taking  a  suite  of 
rooms,  and  the  society  will  be  pleasant  for  Gerald.  You 
would  want  to  spend  the  summer  out  of  the  city  in  any 
event." 
« I  shall  like  it  better,"  returned  Gerald.  "  I  don't  want 


THE  CfiOWN  OP  DUTY.  367 

Eleanor  to  be  bothered  with  the  details  of  a  louse  and 
servants,  and  in  this  way  we  shall  be  free  to  go  wherevei 
we  like.  I  think  I  should  try  Florida,  or  Cuba,  anothei 
winter." 

Eleanor  made  no  objection.  Under  the  circumstancei 
she  would  much  rather  have  had  a  home  to  occupy  hei 
attention,  or,  at  least,  distract  it  a  little  from  the  one  chan 
nel.  But  she  had  resolved  not  to  thwart  Gerald.  If  the 
new  fortune  lasted  through  his  life,  it  would  be  sufficient. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  they  became  quite  delight- 
fully settled.  Gerald  was  all  brightness  and  solicitude, 
and  much  interested  in  winning  his  little  daughter's  affec- 
tions. But  the  narrow  jealousy  of  the  man  could  not  be 
entirely  hidden,  if  he  had  so  willed,  and  he  was  not  one 
to  make  any  earnest  endeavor.  When  the  matter  was 
finally  decided,  the  Ashburtons,  for  Eleanor's  sake,  had 
made  some  friendly  overtures.  There  might  have  been 
some  latent  feeling  of  shame  aroused,  but  it  was  more 
petty  vanity,  wounded  by  their  actual  superiority.  He 
could  never  be  any  kind  of  hero  to  them.  His  repentance 
they  might  accept,  but  they  could  not  hold  it  up  and  ad- 
mire it  as  a  noble  deed.  He  shrank  from  their  truth  and 
penetration,  and  he  dreaded  their  influence  over  Eleanor. 

She  felt  that  the  old  pleasant  home-life  must  be  given 
up  in  some  degree.  He  was  not  at  ease  with  them,  neither 
did  he  like  for  Eleanor  to  visit  them  alone.  In  truth,  after 
the  first  gratification  and  pleasure  of  having  gained  his 
point,  and  her  also,  was  over,  the  man  came  back  to  his 
vapid,  ill-managed  self,  with  the  added  irritability  of  failing 
health.  He  had  been  so  used  to  excitements  and  stimu- 
lants, and  the  constant  change  of  society,  that  Eleanor's 
reading  and  music  seemed  tame  indeed.  The  boasted  love 
was  not  equal  to  solitude  with  her. 

What  could  she  do  ?  She  used  to  ask  herself  the  ques- 
tion at  times  in  a  terrified,  helpless  way.  It  might  stretch 
on  for  years  and  years.  Could  she  endure  to  the  end  T 
Would  the  grace  be  sufficient  ? 


868  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

The  alternations  of  temper  were  very  difficult  foi  littl« 
Greta  to  understand.  Having  been  used  hitherto  to  a 
tender,  equable  home  atmosphere,  the  being  petted  and 
scolded  almost  in  a  breath  terrified  her.  Her  mother's 
judicious  management  was  quite  set  at  nought. 

When  Eleanor  Copeland  accepted  her  destiny  a  second 
time  at  Gerald's  hands,  she  hardly  looked  for  happiness, 
but  she  had  not  expected  such  an  utter  dearth  of  moderate 
enjoyment.  The  trifles  that  made  up  his  life  were  well 
nigh  insufferable  to  her  —  gossip  of  the  day,  extravagant, 
highly- wrought  stories,  men  of  an  exceedingly  common- 
place stamp,  whose  principal  associations  were  second- 
rate  actresses,  and  who  could  tell  the  time  and  pedigree  of 
every  well-known  horse.  She  could  see  that  these  inter- 
ested —  other  things  wearied. 

Was  it  her  duty  to  lower  herself  to  this  commonplace 
round  ?  Certainly  he  had  degenerated  since  the  first  years 
of  their  marriage.  Sometimes  she  turned  away  heart-sick. 
But  it  was  too  late  to  go  back. 

No  one  knew  the  straits  and  perilous  ways  through 
which  she  passed.  She  did  not  dare  look  at  the  future. 
She  clung  to  the  grace  that  was  promised  as  sufficient,  and 
tried  to  keep  herself  tranquil,  garnering  what  store  she 
could  from  the  pleasant  days  to  keep  her  through  those 
that  were  more  trying. 

Jessie  and  Mr.  Graham  proved  their  love  and  relation- 
ship in  many  ways.  Their  carriage  was  often  at  Eleanor's 
disposal,  and  Greta's  great  joy  was  to  go  to  aunt  Jessie's 
and  play  with  little  Ward,  who  was  fascinated  with  his 
cousin. 

When  the  spring  had  fairly  opened,  and  pleasant  weather 
eet  in,  Gerald  grew  more  restless,  and  began  to  plan  pleas- 
ure-trips. Eleanor  accepted  the  change  thankfully.  Greta 
was  sent  to  Home  Nook  for  the  summer. 

"  A  child  is  always  such  a  bother  in  travelling ! "  Gerald 
had  said,  and  Eleanor  was  glad  to  have  her  in  a  better 
ordered  household. 


THE  CROWN   OF  DUTY.  369 

They  had  been  very  happy  at  Home  Nook.  Rose  and 
Clement  had  within  themselves  stores  of  interest  and  ex- 
perience, and  to  both  the  relations  of  home  were  rarely 
delightful.  Clement's  long  absence  had  but  strengthened 
his  love,  while  Rose  was  thankful  to  have  such  a  tender 
mother  as  Mrs.  Ashburton.  Madge  was  bright  and  win- 
some, and  did  her  best  to  make  amends  for  Eleanor's 
absence.  They  understood  that  they  could  not  cordially 
fraternize  with  Mr.  Copeland,  and,  with  the  refinement  of 
wisdom,  refrained  from  adding  to  Nelly's  burden. 

They  understood  better  from  Greta's  childish  prattle 
what  it  really  was.  Now  and  then  the  child  would  quote 
"  papa;"  but  in  the  main,  she  was  reticent  beyond  her  years. 

That  summer  a  new  member  was  added  to  the  house- 
hold —  Clement's  baby.  Somehow  they  could  hardly 
realize  that  Rose  was  the  mother  of  it,  she  looked  so  like 
a  child  herself.  Greta  was  wild  with  delight. 

Philip  spent  much  of  the  summer  at  home.  He  and 
Mr.  Wyverne  were  the  most  cordial  of  friends.  Indeed, 
Mr.  Wyverne  had  fallen  back  into  his  old  place  with  them, 
with  the  one  great  difference  that  was  never  spoken  of 
between  them.  No  one  was  more  rejoiced  than  he  at 
Greta's  advent. 

"Isn't  it  strange  how  the  child  loves  him?"  exclaimed 
Madge.  "-Has  she  some  dim  presentiment?  For  I  do 
believe  Mr.  Wyverne  will  wait  all  his  life." 

Mrs.  Ashburton  sighed  a  little.  Would  Nelly's  line* 
ever  fall  in  pleasant  places  again  ? 

Madge  had  a  letter  from  her  one  day  that  she  brought 
to  her  mother  to  read. 

They  were  en  route  for  Minnesota.  Gerald's  cough  was 
much  worse  again,  and  the  doctor  had  ordered  them 
thither.  They  would  remain  until  the  weather  became  too 
cold,  and  then  go  to  Cuba,  without  returning  east.  Gerald 
wished  Greta  placed  in  some  good  school,  but  Eleanoi 
though,"  her  too  young. 
24 


870  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"  And  so  I  ask  the  favor,  dear  Madge,  that  you  will  give 
her  a  little  motherly  oversight.  I  know,  in  the  depths  of 
your  kind  heart,  you  will  do  what  is  best,  and  that  tho 
others  will  not  think  her  too  much  trouble.  I  am  glad  to 
have  this  pleasant  refuge  for  her.  She  is  in  much  better 
hands  than  she  would  be  with  me.  And,  my  darling,  pray 
that  I  may  have  strength  to  endure  to  the  end,  that  I  may 
not  fail  or  fall  away  from  the  sure  help." 

u  O,  mamma,"  exclaimed  Madge,  "  what  a  pity  that  any 
person's  life  should  be  such  that  their  death  can  scarcely 
be  regretted !  It  would  be  useless  for  us  to  affect  grie£ 
We  shall  be  relieved  at  Nelly's  freedom.  And  yet  I  do 
feel  sorry  for  Mr.  Copeland.  Why  do  you  suppose  God 
gave  him  so  much  ?  Everything  seems  just  to  have  come 
to  him.  He  was  a  handsome  young  man,  and  had  all  the 
advantages  of  a  liberal  education.  Then  three  fortunes 
have  kindly  fallen  into  his  hands,  and  a  beautiful,  noble 
wife  crowned  his  way.  For,  even  in  her  girlhood,  I  think 
Nelly  would  have  made  a  grand  wife  for  a  man  who  could 
appreciate  her." 

"  It  does  seem  a  great  mystery  when  God  showers  so 
many  blessings  upon  one  who  appears  incapable  of  using 
them  to  his  own  benefit  or  that  of  others.  Yet  it  must 
serve  some  wise  purpose." 

"Mamma,  I  do  believe  it  puzzles  you  a  little  bit.  Con 
fess,  now !  When  there  are  so  many  people  in  the  world 
who  could  have  used  it  more  wisely,  blessing  their  kind. 
A  wasted  life,  nay,  worse,  for  he  has  made  others  miserable. 
It  does  not  seem  to  point  any  moral  at  all.  And  his  re- 
pentance was  just  as  weak  and  surperficial  as  his  character. 
I  dc  believe  if  he  had  found  Nelly  looking  old  and  mis- 
erable, and  none  of  us  improved  in  prosperity,  he  would 
hardly  have  insisted  upon  taking  her.  And  although  he 
pretended  to  care  so  much  for  Greta,  you  see  he  would  be 
quite  willing  to  have  the  shy,  tender  little  thing  go  among 
entire  strangers,  when  he  knows  that  we  loved  her  so 


THE  CROWN   OP  DUTY.  371 

nearly.  I  cannot  understand  such  an  affection.  He  nevei 
thinks  of  another  person's  happiness." 

"There  is  a  great  deal  of  selfishness  in  the  world ;"  and 
Mrs.  Ashburton  sighed. 

"  He  never  pauses  to  consider  what  Eleanor  likes.  No 
matter  how  tired  she  may  be,  if  any  whim  seizes  him  he 
must  have  it  gratified.  I  wonder,  sometimes,  how  she  car 
be  so  sweet  and  patient." 

"  I  used  to  have  more  fear  for  Eleanor  than  any  of  the 
children,"  replied  Mrs.  Ashburton.  "  As  a  young  girl,  she 
was  quietly  persistent  ill  her  own  way,  as  if  that  was  much 
better  than  any  counsel.  She  had  a  fashion  of  almost 
despising  the  common  things  of  life,  and  the  homely, 
every-day  virtues.  Perhaps  she  needed  just  this  expe- 
rience." 

"  There  has  been  a  very  perfect  work  in  her,  I  am  sure. 
But,  mamma,  when  Mr.  Copeland  improved  so  much  in 
the  spring,  I  could  not  feel  reconciled  to  the  idea  of  his 
recovery.  It  was  wicked,  I  suppose." 

"  It  was  a  snare  for  evil  thoughts,  at  least." 

"  But  how  could  one  help  seeing  ?  And  yet  his  life  is  as 
sweet  to  him  as  mine,  no  doubt.  I  have  observed  that 
people  whose  lives  are  of  very  little  account  cling  to  them 
the  most  tenaciously." 

"The  wheat  and  the  tares  are  to  grow  together  until 
harvest,  you  knew.  Our  short-sighted  faith  might  root 
them  out  and  destroy  them ;  but  God,  who  is  wiser,  bids 
them  stand.  All  their  lives  have  in  them  some  thought  of 
His,  though  we  can  only  see  how  they  push,  and  hinder, 
and  vex  better  growth.  And  He  gave  the  barren  fig  tree 
another  season." 

"  As  he  has  to  Gerald  Copeland.  Mamma,  it  is  a  very 
»olemn  thing  to  live,  after  all.  And  what  if  our  sheave* 
should  be  all  tares  and  wild  flowers  instead  of  wheat  ?  " 

"  It  is  our  daily  work  to  make  ready  for  the  grand  har- 
vesting. How  God  deals  with  others  must  not  occuj  y  ao 
much  of  our  attention  that  we  forget  ourselves." 


572  HOME  NOOK,   OB 

"Yet  we  can  hardly  help  it  when  their  deeds  affect  m  sc 
much.  Even  He  said,  'Offences  must  needs  be,  but  woe  tc 
him  through  whom  they  come.'  " 

"That  is  the  part  to  be  left  with  Him,  dear.  His 
thoughts  are  farther  back,  from  the  beginning.  And  every 
day  I  am  thankful  that  He  gave  Eleanor  courage  and 
strength  for  this  duty.  It  is  clearer  than  ever  to  me, 
though  I  could  hardly  trust  when  I  consented." 

"We  believe  more,  the  nearer  we  come  to  the  end  of  a 
thing.  But,  mamma,  could  we  feel  satisfied  if  we  knew 
it  must  go  stretching  on  for  years  and  years?  " 

The  tears  shone  in  Mrs.  Ashburton's  eyes.  Madge,  seeing 
them,  clasped  her  arms  around  her  mother's  neck,  and 
kissed  her  fondly. 

"  My  dear  darling,"  said  Mrs.  Ashburton,  "  let  us  leave 
these  things  with  God,  and  keep  our  own  souls  clean.  It 
is  a  great  comfort  that  we  can  trust  Eleanor  to  walk  in 
this  perilous  path." 

Madge  fell  into  a  reverie.  Life  was  an  outgrowth,  a 
continual  development.  "  Behold  I  show  you  a  mystery," 
said  the  apostle ;  "  we  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be 
changed."  As  well  for  this  world  as  for  that  to  come. 
The  dull  forms  of  doubt  and  unbelief  that  we  grow  out  of, 
the  shaping  and  the  culture,  the  grace  fresh  from  His  hand 
that  never  fails.  We  could  not  even  by  taking  heed  find 
out  God's  ways  until  they  come  to  pass.  His  wisdom  was 
to  be  sufficient.  We  were  to  do  the  work  He  placed  be- 
fore us,  and  not  to  stray  into  by-paths  in  search  of  pleas- 
anter  pastures.  His  change  would  come  in  the  appointed 
time.  He  had  promised  to  make  the  righteousness  of  His 
children  as  clear  as  the  light,  and  their  just  dealing  as  the 
noonday.  It  was  waiting  His  time  that  He  asked  of  us. 

Quiet  Riverside  was  presently  startled  by  an  incident 
that  possessed  peculiar  interest  for  the  little  community. 
This  was  Mrs.  Westlake's  death,  and  the  preparation  for 
another  funeral.  The  house  had  been  closed  since  tbi 


THE  CROWN   OP  DUTY.  873 

burial  of  her  son's  wife.  Perhaps  she  felt  that  she  could 
never  thoroughly  enjoy  its  beauty  and  luxury  again.  She 
had  an  innate  shrinking  from  sickness  and  death,  and  all 
their  sombre  reminders. 

Charles  Westlake  had  gone  abroad  again,  this  time  on 
business  for  a  commercial  house.  His  mother  settled  her- 
self in  a  fashionable  hotel,  that  she  might  not  be  deprived 
of  society,  even  if  the  requirements  of  custom  did  demand 
some  seclusion.  The  child  and  its  nurse  were  under  her 
supervision ;  but  the  one  she  desired  most  of  all,  for  she 
did  love  her  son  passionately,  and  had  schemed  for  the 
control  of  him  and  his  affections,  and  he,  she  well  under- 
stood, distrusted  her.  Yet  she  did  not  wholly  despair. 
The  very  nobleness  of  his  character  would  always  lead 
him  to  pay  her  an  outward  respect,  at  least.  And  she  held 
him  at  this  advantage  —  her  letters  were  frequent  and  ten- 
der. He  should  have  no  excuse  for  coldness. 

Through  the  summer  she  had  sunned  herself  at  Saratoga 
and  Newport.  A  handsome,  haughty  woman,  looking 
young  for  her  years,  who  had  reigned  as  a  queen  in  society 
for  many  past  seasons,  her  wealth  and  position  gave  her 
a  certain  social  prestige  that  she  would  never  willingly  re- 
linquish. Attention  and  honor  were  as  daily  bread  to  her. 

In  the  midst  of  her  health,  and  strength,  and  pride,  she 
had  met  a  conquering  foe.  While  riding  one  morning  she 
had  been  thrown  by  a  sudden  and  unmanageable  fright  in 
the  horses,  and  picked  up  an  insensible  mass,  bruised  and 
injured  beyond  recovery,  they  thought  at  first.  After  a 
fortnight  she  began  to  rally,  and  sent  an  imperative  sum- 
mons to  her  son  to  hasten  home  at  once. 

Two  months  of  suffering  and  anguish  had  been  hers, 
and  inexorable  death  had  summoned  her  before  she  could 
have  her  wild  prayer  answered,  and  behold,  her  son's  face. 

Through  it  all  she  would  not  believe  that  death  was 
possible,  and  utterly  refused  to  think  of  business  until  she 
could  confer  with  Lira.  She  kept  revolving  some  new 


8'<4  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

links  in  her  mind  wherewith  to  bind  him ;  but  it  wat  not 
to  be.  The  day  before  his  arrival  she  had  expired,  lud 
denly.  Perhaps  it  was  best  so.  He  could  think  then  that 
she  had  it  in  her  heart  to  make  reparation  for  the  evil  she 
had  wrought,  and  the  wealth  that  had  been  her  pride  re- 
niained  unfettered  by  ar  y  restrictions. 

Another  funeral  procession  wended  its  mournful  way 
from  the  great  house.  There  were  throngs  of  stylish  ac- 
quaintances, but  few  old  friends  or  neighbors. 

Catharine  Day  heard  the  particulars  from  the  house- 
keeper. Miss  Hetty  repeated  them  to  Madge. 

**  They  have  not  been  very  lucky,  it  seems  to  me ;  "  and 
the  brisk  voice  fell  to  a  lower  key.  "  I  sometimes  wonder 
about  these  people,  with  their  means  and  influence,  and 
many  opportunities  of  doing  good.  God  takes  account  of 
it  all,  I  suppose.  Maybe  there's  some  fruit  that  we  don't 
see.  And  yet  they  might  do  so  much !  Perhaps  I  am  a 
little  envious  for  the  Lord's  sake,  when  there  is  so  much 
to  do." 

Madge  gave  a  tiny,  quick  smile  of  appreciation.  The 
things  that  might  be  and  were  not,  puzzled  her  also. 

"  I  often  think  of  young  Mrs.  Westlake.  It  was  the 
eleventh  hour,  yet  she  did  come  in.  She  had  the  blessed- 
ness of  the  penny,  the  wages  promised.  There  was  given 
her  a  heart  to  do,  even  if  the  time  was  brief.  But  I  am 
afraid  the  Madam  was  not  of  that  kind.  Though  I  don't  be- 
lieve she  would  have  cared  to  live  in  such  a  terrible  plight." 

"Was  it  very  bad?"  Madge  asked,  timidly. 

w  She  would  have  been  a  cripple  for  life,  and  quite  dis- 
figured, the  nurse  said.  Her  jaw  was  broken,  and  some  of 
her  beautiful  teeth  gone.  She  was  very  proud  of  them, 
and  they  were  fine  for  her  years.  And  her  hip  was  so 
fractured  that  it  never  could  have  gone  back  in  its  place. 
I  don't  believe  she  would  have  enjoyed  living  after  that. 
It  takes  a  sight  of  grace  to  be  happy  when  one  is  almost 
nelpless.  Mrs.  Payson  told  Catharine  she  should  not  have 
known  her,  the  accident  had  changed  her  so  much." 


THE  CROWN  OF  DUTY.  375 

"lam  thankful,  then,  that  Charlie  did  not  see  her!" 
Madge  exclaimed,  involuntarily.  "  She  was  a  handsome 
woman,  and  he  will  like  to  keep  the  old  remembrance  of 
her." 

"  Yes.  I  have  a  strange  kind  of  pity  for  him,  as  though 
he  lad  not  been  quite  rightly  used.  He  was  so  differen; 
after  his  marriage,  so  grave  and  old-like,  —  you  know  whtt 
I  mean,  Madge, —  as  if  the  brightness  of  youth  had  all 
gone  out  of  him.  And  it  wasn't  a  bit  natural.  Maybe  it 
is  the  foreign  air.  I've  noticed  it  in  some  other  faces.  To 
my  mind,  there's  nothing  like  a  sweet,  cheerful  home  to 
keep  people  content.  God  set  them  in  families,  and  He 
meant  it  to  be  their  first  duty  and  joy." 

"  The  place  will  be  very  lonely,"  said  Madge,  following 
out  her  own  thoughts. 

"  No  doubt  he  will  sell  it  and  go  away.  He  said  last 
autumn  that  it  could  never  be  home  to  him  again.  But 
he  is  young  and  rich,  with  all  the  world  before  him.  I 
hope  he  will  marry  a  good,  sweet-natured  woman,  and  be 
happy.  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  lives  that  might  be  noble, 
flawed  and  spoiled  by  the  wrong  setting." 

Madge  felt  the  warm  blood  rush  to  her  face. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  will  drop  in  to  see  me.  He  was  so 
cordial  the  last  time !  We  sat  over  there  in  the  old  room 
—  he  would  go  there.  'Miss  Hetty,'  said  he, 'there  is 
hardly  a  spot  in  the  world  that  has  such  a  cosy,  inviting 
look  as  this.  I  hope  you  will  never  change  it.  I  do  be- 
lieve, if  I  was  ever  sick,  I  should  come  here  to  be  taken 
care  of.'  I  never  told  you  of  that  before, my  dear;"  and 
she  gave  her  little  cheerful  laugh. 

The  soft  eyes  were  averted  then,  and  the  trembling  lips 
could  make  no  comment.  Was  it  the  old  charm  that  drew 
him  here,  and  would  he  come  to  Miss  Hetty  in  his  new 
sorrow  ?  —  this  tender,  motherly  woman,  to  whom  God 
had  given  the  love  and  the  gifts  without  the  thing  itself 
Surely  her  rare  insight  was  a  diviner  quality  than  many 
another's  actual  experience. 


876  HOME    NOOK,   OB 

They  sat  and  talked  in  the  lingering  twilight.  The 
wide  hall  became  shadowy,  and  the  pauses  seemed  to  hold 
a  strange  mystery  in  their  silences.  Madge  felt  her  heart 
beat  with  great,  irregular  bounds.  Some  inward  prescience 
told  her  that  if  her  fate  came  not  presently,  it  would  never 
come  at  all. 

Ah  !  had  she  hoped  ? 

She  could  not  deny  it  to  herself.  Yet  if  it  never  reached 
her? 

Back  in  the  past  she  might  have  been  content.  But  to 
come  so  near,  to  see  what  should  have  been  hers  bestowed 
elsewhere ! 

A  coldness  and  a  shivering  seized  her.  Could  it  paaa 
her  by  a  second  time  ? 

There  was  the  home  and  the  affection,  the  duties  that 
were  pleasant  and  satisfying  yesterday,  and  brought  their 
own  sweet  reward,  —  would  they  not  suffice  for  a  life  ? 
Some  souls,  with  the  great  longing  of  hers,  had  not  even 
these  guests  to  fill  the  solitary  spaces. 

They  heard  the  gate  open  and  shut,  as  if  some  rather 
awkward  fingers  were  at  it. 

" For  me,  I  dare  say ; "  and  Madge  sprang  up.  "Good 
night,  dear  Miss  Hetty." 

"Let  me  get  a  light.  Why,  I  wonder  where  Catharine 
is  all  this  time !  And  I  had  no  idea  it  was  so  dark  ! " 

"  Never  mind.  Good  night  again ; "  this  time  with  a 
kiss. 

"  My  dear,  wait ;  it  may  be  a  visitor,  instead." 

That  was  a  risk  which  Madge  did  not  care  to  face.  She 
wanted  nothing  beyond  her  own  thoughts.  Any  ordinary 
conversation  would  be  intolerable  to  her  now. 

M  No,  I  must  go.     I  come  so  often,  you  know." 

Miss  Hetty  was  fumbling  for  matches.  She  loved  the 
twilight  so  well  that  the  hall  was  generally  lighted  the 
last.  Madge  went  down  the  steps  and  through  the  small, 
old-fashioned  door-yard  in  breathless  haste.  Just  as  she 


THE  CEOWN  OP  DUTY.  377 

reached  the  gate,  a  long  ray  of  light  flashed  after  her,  illu« 
minating  the  narrow  perspective  of  shrubbery,  and  falling 
on  the  figure  standing  there,  whose  head  was  partially 
bowed.  She  paused  nbruptly. 

u  Madge ! "  the  voice  said,  in  a  kind  of  strained  under- 
breath.  "  Miss  Ashburton  !  " 

A  cry  rose  in  her  throat,  but  she  did  not  utter  it.  The 
profoundness  of  her  emotion  held  her  like  a  spell.  Was 
her  question  to  be  answered  here  and  now?  She  shrank 
sensitively  from  either  alternative. 

"  I  heard  your  voice.  I  was  coming  to  see  Miss  Hetty 
It  was  the  thing  nearest  you.  I  said  to  myself,  She  may 
have  been  here  to-day.  O,  Madge ! " 

He  opened  the  gate  for  her,  and,  like  one  in  a  dream, 
she  passed  through.  He  lingered  to  shut  it,  and  —  was  it 
for  some  sign  from  her?  She  stood  quite  still.  All  the 
life  in  her  seemed  to  stop  and  crowd  around  her  heart, 
bringing  an  awful  solemnity.  One  little  word  could  turn 
the  current  either  way.  In  the  bright,  by-gone  years  she 
could  have  spoken  it;  now  she  must  listen;  it  was  the 
part  left  for  her,  the  part  that  had  followed  her  waiting. 

"  Madge,  my  darling ! " 

He  took  her  hand  then  and  drew  it  through  his  arm, 
and  they  fell  into  step  mechanically.  The  warm  blood 
rushed  back  to  her  face,  and  she  felt  the  exultant  life 
throbbing  through  every  pulse. 

"  I  could  not  have  dreamed  of  this  blessedness.  That  I 
should  meet  you  here,  at  this  very  gate,  where  we  said, 
years  ago  —  do  you  remember  ?  —  that  whatever  came,  we 
would  keep  our  faith  in  each  other !  And  I  failed  miser- 
ably. Madge,  can  you  forgive?  God  knows  that  my 
heart  never  wavered.  I  think  you  understand  — " 

"  Enough  to  absolve  you  from  premeditated  wrong,"  she 
answered,  eagerly,  hastening  to  justify  him  in  his  own 
eyes,  since  he  had  been  cleared  in  hers  long  before. 

tt  I  had  not  counted  on  so  sudden  an  explanation,  my 


878  HOME   NOOK,   OB 

dearest  Madge,  and  it  seems  strange  to  have  it  in  the 
shadow  of  a  new  sorrow,  like  that  which  has  befallen  me 
again.  Yet  in  this  freedom  I  think  I  have  a  right  to  the 
whole  truth.  After  it  is  once  spoken  we  will  shut  it  in  the 
graves  with  the  dead." 

"If  it  gives  you  pain  —  Oh,  I  can,  I  do  believe  in  you," 
she  answered,  incoherently ;  the  very  depths  of  her  soul 
stirred  by  the  tumult  of  feeling  that  she  could  not  wholly 
grasp. 

"  God  bless  you,  Madge,  for  the  faith.  It  has  been  my 
keenest  misery,  all  through  these  years,  to  think  of  your 
suffering.  You  had  enough,  surely,  without  my  adding  to 
it.  Yet  I  could  make  no  sign.  You  had  to  believe  the 
worst" 

"  O,  it  is  past  now,"  she  said,  with  a  little  cry,  realizing 
the  strength  of  her  own  love,  and  the  joy  of  its  late  fru- 
ition. Why  should  she  not  rejoice  that  it  had  come? 
Was  bliss  so  ordinary  a  thing  that  one  should  take  it  with- 
out thanks  ? 

"I  want  to  tell  you  —  for  my  own  satisfaction.  I  have 
said  this  over  to  myself  so  many  times  during  the  last  year, 
planning  how  I  would  come  after  a  while  1  For  May  saw 
it  clearly  with  her  dying  eyes.  The  sin  was  not  all  here." 

"  No,  no,"  Madge  answered,  hurriedly. 

"  Perhaps  I  made  the  first  mistake  in  not  confessing  the 
exact  truth  ;  yet  I  withheld  it  from  the  purest  delicacy.  I 
knew  she  loved  me,  and  that  it  was  my  mother's  wish  that 
I  should  marry  her.  I  fancied  it  possible  to  change  her 
regard  by  persistently  showing  her  that  I  had  only  a 
brother's  love  to  give.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  used  to 
long  for  my  exile  to  come  to  an  end.  Letters  missed  now 
and  then,  not  wholly  by  accident,  I  fear.  O,  my  darling, 
many  a  time  I  grew  heart-sick  with  the  delay ;  but  I  dared 
not  give  my  impatience  words,  even  to  you.  And  then 
came  that  request  for  freedom,  nay,  a  demand,  leaving  me 
QO  choice.  We  had  heard  a  story  before  of  your  intended 
uarriage.  She  told  you,  I  think." 


THE  CEOWN  OF  DUTY.  379 

u  Yes.    O,  let  it  all  go,"  pleaded  the  tremulous  voice. 

"I  have  a  man's  desire  to  be  justified  in  the  eyes  of  the 
woman  I  love.  How  could  I  dream  of  deception  ?  The 
direction  on  the  envelope  and  the  post-mark  were  con- 
vincing. They  could  not  be  counterfeited.  That  the 
brief  note  might  have  been,  never  occurred  to  me.  In  my 
anguish  and  despair  I  yielded  to  the  love  that  longed  to 
comfort  me.  It  was  as  tender  and  considerate  as  its  nature 
could  produce.  When  I  reached  New  York  we  heard  many 
things  of  which  you  had  kept  me  in  ignorance,  and  the 
great  truth  that  well  nigh  crushed  me.  O,  Madge,  you 
can  never  know  the  powerful  temptation  that  beset  me  to 
come  once  and  clear  myself  in  your  eyes !  I  writhed 
under  that  foul  stain.  All  my  own  life  appeared  swept 
away ;  it  was  only  crumbs  and  fragments  of  another.  I 
tried  earnestly  to  do  ray  duty.  In  the  sad,  sweet  days 
towards  the  last,  she  absolved  me.  We  spoke  of  you 
often.  O,  Madge,  I  think  she  understood  then  the  strength 
of  a  man's  love  for  the  woman  who  can  strike  the  key-note 
of  his  soul.  You  will  not  grudge  what  I  gave  her  then  ?  " 

"  O,  do  not  believe  me  that  selfish  ! "  cried  Madge.  "It 
was  all  hers." 

M  My  faith,  and  truth,  and  devotion  were.  She  knew 
when  I  married  her  that  the  sweetest  had  been  given  to 
another.  I  did  not  deceive  her.  God  knows  that  I  tried 
to  render  her  happy  in  her  way,  which  never  could  have 
been  mine,  and  she  was  happier  than  if  I  had  not  married 
her.  That  is  my  only  comfort  in  the  dreary  waste.  And 
she  understood  what  must  come  afterwards  —  it  was  her 
wish." 

Madge  was  trembling  in  the  strong  arm  that  held  her, 
and  her  tears  dropped  quietly. 

"  She  felt  that  she  could  trust  her  little  girl  with  you. 
She  told  me  that  she  had  made  you  promise  to  love  her, 
Will  you  do  it  a  little  for  my  sake,  Madge  ?  This  is  not 
•o  glad  a  betrothal  as  that  of  our  early  youth,  but,  God 


380  HOME  NOOK,    OK 

helping,  it  shall  prove  a  happier  one.  Thank  Him  that  th« 
season  of  bloom  does  not  end  in  May ! " 

He  took  her  hand  in  his,  with  the  stars  above  tl/em  for 
witnesses,  then,  bending  over  her,  he  kissed  the  throbbing 
lips  that  had  kept  their  troth-plight  so  sacredly. 

"I  was  thankful  to  go  away  again.  I  could  riot  remain 
and  deny  myself  the  sight  of  your  dear  face.  Some  time  I 
meant  to  return  and  ask  honorably  for  your  love.  God 
has  settled  it  in  his  own  way.  There  are  only  us  two  to 
bury  the  ghosts  of  the  past  and  begin  a  new  life.  My 
darling ! " 

It  was  said  without  any  words.  In  the  future  they  might 
talk  gladly  and  freely  again,  but  to-night  both  hearts  were 
sore  and  sad,  as  they  must  needs  be  when  stirred  to  the 
depths  of  past  pain. 

They  had  reached  Home  Nook  by  this  time.  She  paused 
and  asked  him  in. 

"Not  to-night,  dearest.  I  want  to  be  alone  a  little  while 
with  my  great  happiness.  To-morrow,  when  we  have 
become  used  to  the  joy,  we  will  share  it  with  the  others. 
There  is  so  much  for  you  to  help  me  plan  and  decide  1" 

One  tender,  clinging  clasp,  with  uncounted  kisses.  All 
the  missing  years  seemed  to  crowd  in  and  add  intensity. 

After  she  had  parted  with  him  she  went  swiftly  up  to 
her  own  room.  Was  it  true  ?  Had  she  come  to  this  great 
blessedness  at  last  ?  The  one  love  for  which  she  must 
have  always  hungered  in  the  secret  depths  of  her  woman's 
heart,  even  though  she  suffered  herself  to  be  fed  outwardly, 
and  smiled  in  apparent  content. 

«O,  God,  Ithankthee!" 

It  was  all  her  prayer.  Other  petitions  and  thanks- 
givings might  come  presently,  but  this  was  sufficient  now. 
The  keenest,  sweetest  joys  cannot  multiply  themselves 
with  many  words.  Only  those  who  live  outside  of  their 
emotions  and  feelings  need  a  wide  audience. 

The  Ashburtons  were  not  much  surprised  when  Charlie 


THE  CBOWN  OP  DUTY.  381 

Westlake  presented  himself.  Had  he  been  still  more  at 
fault  they  would  have  forgiven  him  cordially  for  the  sake 
of  Madge's  brilliantly  happy  face.  She  seemed  to  have 
blossomed  royally  in  a  single  night,  like  some  rare  plant 
They  all  rejoiced  in  her  joy,  knowing  that  perfect  content 
could  have  come  in  no  other  manner. 

But  Miss  Hetty  was  more  than  surprised.  She  made 
Madge  tell  the  story  again  and  again,  and  interrupted  it 
frequently  with  her  quaint  comments. 

"  To  think  that  I  shouldn't  have  suspected !  But  you 
were  such  a  child  then  !  And  he  used  to  drop  in  to  talk 
about  your  mother,  and  Jessie,  and  Philip.  Child,  I  believe 
every  one  who  has  come  within  your  reach  has  felt  the 
blessed  influence  of  home.  Your  mother  has  been  a  light 
to  the  world,  though  she  has  hardly  gone  outside  of  her 
own  house.  But  she  put  candles  here  and  there  to  shine, 
and  they  gave  no  uncertain  light." 

"  Dear  mamma ! "  said  Madge.  "  If  we  can  do  our  duty 
as  nobly ! " 

"  It  does  come  out  right  if  we  wait  God's  time.  Our 
foolish  fussing  and  planning  only  hinder.  We  see  just  to- 
day, and  He  can  look  at  all  the  great  to-morrows,  and  the 
life  beyond  that.  But  I  am  so  glad  for  you.  It  seems  to 
me  that  you  are  one  of  the  women  who  understand  the 
pure  joy  of  living  and  loving  soul  to  soul.  I  used  to  won- 
der about  it,  and  pray  a  little,  for  I  couldn't  bear  to  think 
of  your  going  through  life  uncrowned.  And  I  am  thankful 
for  Mr.  Westlake.  You  can't  have  all  the  joy  to  yourself. 
He  is  worthy  of  you,  if  ever  man  was.  You  won't  be 
ashamed  to  set  him  beside  Mr.  Graham,  or  your  brothers, 
either." 

He  would  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  any  of  them. 
The  years  had  refined  and  ennobled  him.  Perhaps  love 
might  have  added  the  more  generous  warmth  and  bloom, 
but  the  sorrow  had  sanctified. 

There  was,  as  he  had  said,  much  to  think  about.    He  cam* 


382  HOME    NOOK,    OB 

in  the  Ashburtons'  midst  as  he  had  in  the  old  time,  bright- 
ening with  every  smile  they  gave  him.  What  they  were 
to  do  was  quite  openly  discussed,  for  by  another  spring  he 
wanted  all  in  readiness  for  Madge. 

Mrs.  Westlake's  elegant  habits  and  luxurious  living  had 
made  some  inroads  in  her  fortune,  but  there  wa«  still  a 
consi  ierable  sum  left.  The  house  would  be  sold,  for  both 
Madge  and  Charlie  desired  to  begin  life  anew,  and  have  a 
home  free  from  unpleasant  associations. 

"  And  I  shall  settle  myself  in  business,"  he  said.  "  I  have 
lost  the  boyish  ambition  to  distinguish  myself,  and  I  am 
persuaded  that  I  can  live  as  noble  and  worthy  a  life  in 
some  other  calling.  For  a  few  years  we  will  enjoy  our 
home  and  each  other,  and  if  we  need  changes  afterwards, 
we  can  have  them." 

Madge  assented.  Whatever  contented  him  would  satisfy 
her.  There  was  no  fear  of  his  degenerating  by  any  con- 
tact with  the  world. 

Little  Alice  was  brought  up  to  Home  Nook  for  a  visit  — 
a  bright,  winsome  child,  with  a  certain  infantile  prettiness 
that  was  very  engaging.  She  was  sure  to  find  a  tender 
mother  in  Madge,  whose  range  of  feeling  and  affection  was 
too  broad  and  rich  for  any  petty  jealousy. 

"  She  will  always  be  a  sacred  trust  to  me,"  Madge  said 
to  her  mother.  "  I  do  feel  that  my  experiences  have  been 
fitting  me  for  this  duty  in  an  especial  manner.  And  I  hope 
God  will  give  me  sufficient  grace  never  to  desire  to  crowd 
her  out  of  her  father's  heart.  He  surely  has  love  enough 
for  both,  and  I  cannot  question  my  part." 

"  So  He  brings  them  to  the  haven  where  they  would  be," 
replied  Mrs.  Ashburton,  with  a  tender  cadence. 

"Yes,  mamma.  Yet  I  sometimes  wonder  how  I  dare  1)6 
so  happy.  My  heart  goes  back  to  the  lightness  of  six- 
teen. I  forget  about  the  years  in  the  wilderness." 

"As  it  is  right  that  you  should.  God  gives  us  the  past 
for  lessons,  but  he  does  not  mean  that  we  shall  shadow 


THE   CROWN  OP  DUTY.  383 

the  future  nor  the  present  with  it.  He  bri.igs  to  each  day 
its  work  and  its  reward." 

"  And  we  only  need  Nelly  to  complete  the  picture.  If 
my  life  reaches  such  blessed  fruition,  is  it  wrong  to  hope 
for  her?" 

"  We  will  leave  that  with  God." 

"  Mamma,  I  want  the  whole  world  to  be  happy." 

"A  very  pleasant  desire,  truly;"  and  Mrs.  Asbburton 
smiled. 

Their  prayers  went  up  daily  for  Eleanor.  In  her  distant 
home  she  was  bearing  loneliness,  fatigue,  and  the  daily 
trials  with  uncomplaining  bravery.  The  beginning  of  the 
end  had  surely  come.  Yet  even  here,  separated  from  those 
so  dear  to  her,  shut  out  from  the  tenderest  sympathy,  she 
still  gave  thanks  that  she  had  seen  her  duty  so  clearly,  and 
hastened  to  it  with  willing  hands. 

Gerald  Copeland  would  die  much  as  he  had  lived.  His 
was  a  narrow,  selfish,  exacting  nature.  Youth  and  affluence 
had  given  it  a  semblance  of  generous  feeling,  but  he  only 
parted  with  what  he  did  not  want,  or  gave  to  get  a  double 
portion  in  return.  He  never  considered  any  incident  as  it 
might  affect  others,  but  always  himself.  If  he  lost  interest 
in  a  person  or  a  pursuit,  Eleanor  must  relinquish  it  with- 
out a  sigh. 

Madge  and  Charlie  were  frequent  visitors  at  the  Grahams. 
Jessie  was  more  than  delighted  with  the  turn  of  events. 
The  new  home  was  to  be  in  the  city  for  a  few  years,  and 
the  two  took  an  eager,  almost  childish  delight  in  its  adorn- 
ment. The  beautiful  pictures,  statuary,  and  some  of  the 
furniture  had  been  reserved,  and  were  to  adapt  themselves 
to  new  niches. 

Indeed,  the  lovers  seemed  to  bring  youth  and  sunshine 
to  them  all.  It  is  one  of  the  best  and  rarest  gifts  of  human 
souls  to  be  able  to  go  back  to  the  blooming  May  of  faith, 
and  belief,  and  anticipation ;  to  take  up  the  broken  warp, 
and  unite  it  with  so  cunning  a  hand  that  one  shall  scarcely 
see  the  joining. 


384  HOME    NOOK. 

What  more  ?  That  they  were  happy  you  will  imagine. 
That  there  came  some  crosses,  some  burdens,  and  a  few  sacri- 
fices, you  know  as  well,  for  no  life  is  exempt.  To  the  brave, 
earnest,  active  ones  there,  is  always  a  changing  current. 
The  mariner  beats  up  the  waves  with  his  slender  oar,  and 
guides  the  bark  over  billows,  while  the  idle  pleasure-seek- 
ing passenger  may  lie  in  the  stern  asleep.  But  for  the 
watchful  eye  and  firm  hand  he  might  drift  to  destruction. 

And  though  our  times  and  seasons,  that  stretch  out  to 
some  far  point  we  call  the  limit  of  human  existence,  may 
seem  of  immeasurable  importance  to  us,  in  the  great  and 
infinite  cycles  of  God's  thought  we  are  like  a  little  dream, 
only  we  could  not  have  been  but  for  His  thought  of 
us.  And  so  He  not  only  shapes  our  lives,  but  gives  us  a 
work  to  do.  Happy  he  who  hears  at  the  last  the  blessed 
words,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  to  the  least  of 
these,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me." 


Ill    II    "     " 

A    000  1 28  1 29     4 


